Harry Potter and the Grangers take on the world
by mlieu2010
Summary: Harry and Hermione send their memories back to their younger selves to change the magical world for the better. Using economics and political power to achieve their goal. Weasley and Dumbledore bashing. HHR AU.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe is owned by JK Rowling. I do not claim ownership, or do this for any monetary gain, and fully understand she can shut me down any time she pleases.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. Do not read this if you are a fan of Ron, Ginny, Dumbledore, Snape, Remus, Draco or Molly. I failed English (the subject where you write poem appreciation and analysis classics) in High School so my grammar and spelling is appalling. So do not read this if you get annoyed with incorrect Grammar and spelling.

This chapter has now been beta by Amsev. Thank you.

Prologue

Harry woke up in St Mungo's. His first thought was _how do I get out of here_?

"Excuse me, nurse."

"Yes, Mr. Potter."

"When can I get out of here?"

"You have to wait for the Healer to come to give you the all clear,"

"When will that be?"

"I don't know the healer's schedule." the nurse replied impatiently as she had a lot to do.

"Could you guess?" Harry asked.

"Sometime this morning. Please be patient or do I have to strap you down?."

"I will be good."

"I am busy. So see you later, Mr. Potter."

Harry sat back down in defeat. This was suppose to be just a simple medical check up for a work-related injury. He was an Auror, getting hurt was something that came with the job. Apart from that, life was good. He had his dream job, he loved his wife, Ginny, and they were trying for a baby. His wife and his best friend/sister in law, Hermione Weasley, were competing to see who could get pregnant first. As Harry was lost in thought, the Healer finally arrived.

"Good Morning Mr. Potter, I am Healer Grant. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Great. When can I get out of here, I really don't like hospitals or infirmaries, no offence intended?"

"Let's see how you are doing."

Healer Grant started waving his wand over Harry.

"Well the physical injuries you sustained are healing nicely but we have uncovered some curses and charms that maybe difficult to remove. The longer you leave them the harder it is to remove."

"Just do it and get it over and done with," said Harry.

The Healer started removing charms from Harry and made him drink some awful potions. Harry did not know whether it was the charms or the potions but he started puking and having the worst case of the runs in his life. It was a very unpleasant night for Harry.

The next morning, Harry woke up more alert and awake than he felt before but extremely hungry and thirsty.

"Nurse, can I get breakfast and something to drink, please?"

The nurse fetched Harry's breakfast and a jug of water. Both food and water were completely gone when Healer Grant came in.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Potter?" asked the Healer.

"Better than I felt in a long time after I ate and drank this morning."

"We have to talk. You may have noticed that your wife, Ginny, has not been in to see you. The reason is simple. We did not allow her to see you after we found that you have been dosed with love potions keyed into her."

"How long had she been dosing me?"

"Quite a few years now. Since you were about 16 years old judging by the damage it has caused to your body."

"Do you mind keeping her away for a while so that I can sort out my feelings for her?"

"I would actually recommend that, Mr. Potter."

"Is there any thing else?"

"Are there any other surprises up your sleeve?"

"Actually, I do. I was going to wait until you dealt with the love potion issue before telling you that we also found loyalty charms as well. These loyalty charms were keyed to Dumbledore, the Weasleys and Professor Snape."

"Do you know who put them on and when?"

"Dumbledore had placed the loyalty charm on you to himself before you even came to Hogwarts. You must have been 5 or 6 years old at the time."

"The stupid bugger! He knew how I was treated and did nothing. Pardon my language."

"Understandable."

"How about the others?"

"The loyalty charm for the Weasleys were done by Molly Weasley. She must have been working with Dumbledore as the charm is very obscure, and it was the same as the one that Dumbledore used on you. While Dumbledore did the loyalty charm to Snape around his death."

"I am going to kill Molly next time I see her."

"I think you should cool down before you meet these people. You don't want to do anything rash. You are an officer of the law after all."

"By the way, how come it was only discovered now? I have been in hospitals and infirmaries plenty of times."

"We used a new charm for detecting spells, and it must be the first time the charm has been used on you. After we discovered the obscure loyalty charm, we did a deep scan for potions and found the modified love potion."

The next morning Harry asked the nurse if he could send an owl to someone:

_Hi Hermione_

_I think you need to come to the hospital immediately. My doctor discovered some curses placed on me that might have been placed on you, too._

_Regards_

_Harry_

When the Healer came around again, Harry was looking angry and determined.

"I think my best friend might have also been charmed and potioned like me. She should be coming in sometime today; her name is Hermione Weasley. Could you make sure she is tested and treated if necessary?"

"I will be on the outlook for her, and I will tell the other staff to do the same."

"Can you keep those criminals away from me, and how long can I stay here?"

"We can keep them away from you stating medical reasons. But you can only stay in the hospital for a week."

"Thank you very much. I will take as much time away from them as I can get, even if it means I have to stay is a hospital. It is preferable to the alternative."

Later that day, the Healer came around again.

"Your friend is here. You can go see her if you want," the Healer said before leaving.

Harry rushed to the third floor and went looking for Hermione.

Hermione was vomiting her guts out, and she looked like a mess. Harry rushed to hug her after she finished puking.

"It is going to be alright," Harry said as he held her and provided what little comfort he could by rubbing her back. After spend a while hugging, Hermione had to rush to the bathroom again. She came back in exhausted and collapsed onto her bed and was soon asleep. Harry then went back into his room.

He was looking at his life with a new perception. He was not liking what he was seeing. It was a set up from the beginning. Dumbledore was manipulated every part of his life and was still doing so with the help of Molly Freaking Weasley. He realised he hated Ron and Ginny; even if they did not know what was going on, they did take advantage of it. They should have known something was wrong and did nothing to investigate the situation even though they were so-call friends at the time.

The First thing he did was write to his boss saying he wanted a change in partners at work, as he could not work with Ron ever again as he did not trust him. He also asked for a leave of absence to deal with some personal issues. Approval would not be a problem. Harry went to bed trying to plan what to do.

Harry woke up to a nurse shaking him.

"We need your help. Your friend is destroying the place, and we need your help to calm her down."

As soon as he got close to Hermione's room, he could hear yelling, screaming and things being broken. Hermione was in a rage. She was throwing things around the room screaming.

"I will kill Ronald Bilius Weasley. When I get my hands on him he will wish he was not alive!"

Hermione threw a cup at a nurse who was about to use her wand.

"If he tries to touch me again, I will rip off his dick and shove it in his mouth!"

Harry saw Healer Grant in the corner of the room trying to calm her down.

"I guess you told her?" Harry said quietly to Healer Grant.

The laughter of the Healer only made Hermione more madder.

Harry immediately tried to calm Hermione down by hugging her. She started crying on Harry's shoulder.

"It is going to be okay. I will be right here with you."

"I feel so used and unclean."

For the remainder of the week, Harry and Hermione spent a lot time together. They talked about what they were feeling and planned what they were going to do. They both agreed their marriages were a sham and it was over. Since they did not want to expose their hand, each wrote a letter to their respective partners, saying they needed space. Once they left the hospital, they both stayed at the Leaky Cauldron rather than go home. Harry had Kreacher pack and collect all their things from both houses. They went to see a lawyer the next day to get divorces.

"Good Morning, I am Mr. Slater. How can I help you today?"

"My name is Harry Potter and she is Hermione Weasley. We want to divorce our respective partners."

"May I ask what type of marriage you had and what were your vows?"

"Just your standard wedding with the usual vows."

"So I assume you both said death do us part." Mr. Slater asked.

"Yes."

"Well, there is nothing I can do for you."

"What do you mean?"

"The marriage will last until death."

"But we were both duped with love potion, so our free will were compromised."

"It does not matter as long as you said the words death do us part. It is final and unbreakable. That is why most magical marriages never say those words," the lawyer stated.

"So it is common practice in the magical world, not to say those words."

"Correct. You should have also had tests for charms and potions before your marriage ceremony."

"Why did not anyone tell us this?"

"It was told as part of Introduction to Wizard Society before Dumbledore scrapped the subject."

"Can we sue them for damages?"

"No, as you are considered a partner, they can forgive the debt or crime on your behalf."

"Does that include the love potions given to us?"

"As your partners they can give the people who love potion you and you can't do a thing."

This pissed off Hermione to the extreme. She went in to obsessive research mode and found out that pureblood had more rights than halfbloods and Muggleborns, not to mention mixed races, werewolves, vampires, goblins, centaurs, house elves and any other sentient magical creature. Hermione soon found out that Dumbledore had been using his positions as an educator and politician to lead magical society to a more pureblood, elitist society. Voldemort, a.k.a. Tom Riddle, was the result of his manipulations. What he said and what he did were two different things.

Harry contacted Neville Longbottom, who was more familiar with the political scene. He and Hermione were able to meet with Neville.

"How have you been, Neville?"

"Good, how have the two of you been?"

"Good until we found out we have been drugged with love potion and charmed silly by people we thought loved us."

"That is horrible!" Neville said.

"The reason why we came to you is that we found out about all those discriminatory laws and were working out what can be done to change those laws."

"There is not much I can do to help you."

"Why not?"

"Draco has be spreading his money round, and the pureblood rights were protected."

"I thought you had him stripped of all his money. You assured me that he would be bankrupt by the time you finished."

"I tried to strip all the assets of the Death Eaters but they gave me a choice: strip them of the money or a non-existent Auror force."

"You should have strip the funds off the death eaters and used the funds to pay for Aurors."

"I got a lot pressure to go with the Auror force."

"You bowed to pressure. Are you reverting to back to the scared little boy."

"That was uncalled for."

"You were own only thinking about yourself and your short term goals, doing what was easy and not what is right."

Harry realised when he calmed down that it was not really Neville's fault, as he was put into a corner he was not savvy enough to get out of. What he did blame Neville for was not making his own move on the opposition in meantime, such as put the removal of pureblood rights or compensating victims to Ministry funding legislation. That would easily have bankrupted Malfoy and all the former Death Eaters.

Harry and Hermione headed straight to the newspaper to try to get their story out. They met with the editor of the Daily Prophet to discuss their situation.

"Thank you for meeting us. Mr. White," Harry said in greeting. Knowing how these meetings worked, Hermione nodded her head in greeting. It was a sign of how backwards the wizarding community was, where the males were expected to negotiate while the females provided support.

"A pleasure to meet to meet two of the heroes of the Second Wizard war. What can I help you with today?"

"We wish to have a letter we wrote printed in your newspaper." Hermione handed over a letter she wrote that she and Harry had signed.

"What is the letter about and why now?"

"It is a letter proclaiming the need to promote the rights of the non-pureblood magical population. We took this drastic action when we discovered how little has changed since the war."

"I wish I could help you but the owners of the newspaper would not be happy about it, and I will also get the Ministry breathing down my neck if I printed such a provocative letter. If it was a few years ago or 2 years ago I will have jumped at a chance to print a statement from you. But the Ministry has stabilised, and they would not want someone disturbing the balance that has been achieved."

It was basically a refusal from the editor, so Harry and Hermione said their farewells and left.

Harry and Hermione considered one of them going into politics to try to promote change but found that there were new laws preventing non-purebloods from entering politics. Harry then uses his law enforcement contacts to meet the underground organisation that supported the fringe and discriminated-upon members of magical society. It quickly becomes apparent that they had missed their chance to change the magical world for the better after the fall of Voldemort.

Their activities were attracting the attention of the Pureblood Supremacists that were in charge of Magical Society, and soon an arrest warrant was issued for the detainment of the pair for "questioning". Knowing that they were too late to do anything in this time, they created a bold plan. Harry, Hermione and some of the Outcast organisation were going to break into Department of Mystery to steal all their books and materials on time travelling. The raid was a great success, as supporters of Harry within the Ministry helped Harry achieve his goal.

It took Harry and Hermione 6 months to workout a ritual to send their memories back to when they first entered the magical world. During that time, Harry and Hermione had gotten close especially with the authorities constantly on their tail. Their last week before the ritual was spent on working out the best investment strategy to implement when they went back in time, since to promote change you need power and money is power. The ritual was a complete success, as they felt their minds being pulled from their bodies like a Portkey travelling back in time.


	2. Chapter 1  Preparations

A/N This has now been beta.

In response to all those reviews about the Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts. According to wikipedia, it was destroyed in the Second year by Peeves so in first year it was still in tack.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers. I am not making any money from this.

Chapter 1

Harry woke up hungry and in pain. He checked his school trunk; it had first year material all in perfect condition. He immediately wrote to Hermione to meet him tomorrow at her place so that they could talk to her parents together. After playing with Hedwig, who he missed a lot after her death, he sent her with the letter to Hermione and told her to wait for a reply. He then went to perform his chores and steal some food. Hermione owled back later that day and told Harry he could come tomorrow. Harry then wrote a letter to Remus to meet him the day after tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron.

The next morning he got up extra early, did some chores, and stole something to eat then left a note for his Aunt and Uncle saying he was gone for the day. He hid his scar as best he could and then called the Knight Bus to take him to Hermione's parents place. When Stan asked him what his name was, Harry replied, "Neville".

As soon as Harry arrived, Hermione rushed to Harry and hugged him.

"Mum, Dad, this is Harry. Harry, these are my parents, Dan and Emma Granger," Hermione said.

"We have something we have to tell you, We have memories from the future and we need your help, Doctors Granger," Harry said.

"Are you being serious?" said Dan Granger.

"What happened to the Hermione from yesterday?" said Emma Granger

"I am still the same girl, except I have some extra memories," Hermione stated.

Then Emma and Dan started to ask Hermione all sorts of questions that she would not have been able answer unless she was from the future. This went on for half an hour with Harry answering the questions he knew. In the end, Dan and Emma had to drink scotch to calm their nerves.

"So basically, the headmaster of the school we are sending you to is a Master Manipulator and potential dark lord in hiding?"

"Yes that is what we worked out," Harry stated.

"You need us to help you take this Mastermind down and also this Dark Lord he created?"

"Yes, we have a plan to remove them and change the world for the better."

"You will like the first plan; it would make you and mum rich," Hermione said.

Dan asked, "How rich?"

"Beyond your wildest dreams."

Harry and Hermione then worked out an investment strategy that took advantage of the future knowledge that the time travellers had. They focused on major stocks which will be unaffected by their involvement in the stock market. Dan got really excited by the potential returns they were talking about. The investments will have to be in the name of Dan and Emma as Hermione and Harry were both too young to play the stock market. Dan then went to a Muggle lawyer to see about getting custody of Harry from the Dursleys and also their accountant to setup a trading account.

Emma then took Harry and Hermione to Diagon Alley so that they could do some shopping and Harry could go to the bank. Harry headed to the Gringotts to get some galleons out of his trust account. He gave some of the money to Hermione so that she could go to the book store to buy a few books that would be useful in their plans. From the book store, she proceeded to the stationary store where she purchased all the existing stock of blank books plus places a big order of blank books to be delivered to Hogwarts. Hermione planned to copy all the books in Hogwart's library since they are renowned for having the best collection of books in Britain. Knowledge is power and by stealing the knowledge they would be stealing power that was currently going to waste. She already knew a spell that would allow her to copy an entire book quickly by just flipping through the book.

While Hermione was doing that, Harry went to the store that sold trunks and purchased the biggest and best trunk they had available. Harry then met Hermione at the stationary store where Harry started putting Hermione's purchases into his new trunk. They then popped into the apothecary where Harry bought quite a few unbreakable potion containers that could hold Basilisk Venom. Harry then headed back to Gringotts where he emptied most of his trust account and converted most of the galleons he got out of his trust account into British pounds.

Hermione then create a marriage contract that she researched before they left. The marriage contract was between Harry and herself with the British pounds that Emma got from Harry as the bride price. The marriage contract had multiple purposes: it gave a legitimate reason for the cash and it stopped the schemes of the two youngest Weasleys and their mum. Dan signed on behalf Hermione with Hermione signing for herself to show her approval of the contract while Harry signed for himself. The enforceability and legality of the contract was questionable as Harry was a minor but it still served its purpose.

Emma then deposited the money into her and her husband's joint bank account. While Dan took Harry to the Dursley's to pick up his things so that he could move in with the them. Dan told the Dursleys that he and his wife planned to apply for custody of Harry to the delight of the Dursleys. Later that night Harry got a response from Remus agreeing to the meeting.

The next day Emma, Harry and Hermione met Remus at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hi, are you Remus?" Harry asked Remus.

"Yes, I am; you must be Harry. I have not seen you since you were a little more than 1 year old. How much have you grown and changed in that time," Remus says.

"I would be shocked if I did not change in that time. This is my best friend Hermione Granger who is also going to Hogwarts with me and her mom, Doctor Emma Granger."

"Nice to meet you both. I am surprised when I got your letter. How did you know about me if I may ask?"

"I got several letters from my parents as soon as I entered the bank. One of the letters talks about you and your little furry problem and how difficult your life is due to your problem. So I thought we would catch up and find out what is happening with you."

Remus then talked about his struggles and his inability to find stable work due to his problem. After that, they talked about Harry's parents and what they were like when they were young.

At the end of the meeting, Harry asks Remus,

"I have a massive vault of gifts from fans, admirers and loons. Since work is hard for you maybe you can help me sell some of the gifts I received including a gigantic dead Basilisk. So you want to work for me and help me sell some stuff?"

"You don't have to pay me; I would love to help you any way I can."

"No, it is a lot of stuff; most of it has been moved to the Grangers Place after all the cursed stuff had been removed. It would motivate you more to get a better price when you know you getting, say, 5 percent of all the stuff you sell."

"Okay, make it 2 percent and we have a deal."

"Three percent and that is my final offer."

Hermione chimes in and says,

"You are suppose to lower the price when you are negotiating price not raise."

"I will would accept that offer if I were you, you don't want to argue Hermione."

"Okay, fine, three percent it is"

"It will probably take you quite a while to sell everything, so why don't you pick a trunk each week from the Grangers and try to sell the things inside."

Emma and the couple then went to a Muggle supermarket where they bought several bags of food and then headed back to the Alley. Using their memories of the way the Outcasts worked, they were able to establish contact with the Outcast leader in London. They offered clothes, stationery and food in return their help in finding employees. The first employee they needed was someone to sort items Harry and Hermione would retrieve from the Room of Lost things. After interviewing several candidates, they decide to employ Emily. Emily was a young bright Muggleborn witch that found herself unable to find meaningful work in the wizarding world due to her blood status. While in the Muggle world, even though she was very intelligent she could not find work she liked due to lack of formal education in the Muggle world. Hermione, Emma and Emily hit it off right away, and she was offered the job. It was decided that Emily would move in with the Grangers, and the Grangers would employ her as an administrative assistant, so that it would improve her prospects in the Muggle world if this didn't work out.

Emma, Hermione, Harry and Emily then headed off to Borgin's where Emma bought the Vanishing Cabinet. Emily, using the feather-light charm and the lifting spell, moved the cabinet to Emma's car. She then collected the food from Emma's car and left to give the food to the Outcast Organisation and to pack so that she could move in with the Grangers as she was currently living in backpackers accommodation.

Hermione then decided to buy a big deluxe magical tent so that Emily would have a room for herself, they would have an area where they can sort through the junk from the Room of Lost things, and Hermione could start her own library.

They headed home to set up the wizard tent in the Grangers' backyard. When Dan arrived home, Emma and Dan, with a little help from Harry, moved the Vanishing Cabinet into the garage. Emma then told her husband what they had achieved so far. Dan had organised a meeting with the Grangers lawyers tomorrow to be the adoption process for Harry.

That night they used the Vanishing Cabinets to go Hogwarts. Then they moved the Vanishing Cabinet to the Room of Lost Things and began moving stuff from the room of hidden things to the tent for sorting, using trunks they found in the room to make the sorting easier. They decided to use the new trunks they found in the room of lost things and return the ones they brought recently.

The next morning the Grangers and Harry headed off to see the lawyers to begin the process to gain custody of Harry from the Dursleys. This process was long and tedious with many hoops and loopholes. Harry and Hermione returned their trunks, which the store owner was going to refuse until they said they wanted two larger trunks like Harry had brought yesterday. Then the store owner was more than happy to accept the refund and even gave Harry a bulk discount for the new trunks which would have to be built today. So Harry and Hermione headed off to the bookstore while they wait for the trunks to be built. Hermione bought a few more books from the store, and they collected their trunks before heading home.

Once home they began sorting through all the stuff they got from the room of lost things. Using the gloves they used for potions, they sorted the stuff in different categories. The first category was Muggle things that could be sold like jewellery, sports equipment, musical instruments, toys and etc. The second pile was magical stuff that could be sold like magical jewellery, Quidditch equipment, magical toys, enchanted furniture, magical chess sets, etc. The third pile was for all the things that would be given to the Outcast Organisation like clothes (both Muggle and magical), stationery, toys that have low resale value, etc. The fourth category was stuff that needed to be repaired before it could be sold or given to the Outcast Organisation such as magical trunks, furniture and etc. The fifth pile was for books and documents that would be added to the library. The sixth category was all the things they were keeping that they could have use later on like rare potion ingredients, wands, backpacks, etc. The seventh pile was dark and cursed objects that needed more investigation. Finally, there was a pile of junk.

Each category was put into different trunks. There were a heap of trunks in the room; some of them needed repairing. Hermione would laugh every time she came across one of fictional Harry Potter children's books; by the end of the first day, the fact that they got found almost the entire series told them how popular those books were. They soon realised that they needed a bigger tent or more tents due to the amount of stuff that had accumulated over the thousand years the room had be in operation. The money they were finding alone was enough to fund their operations for months.

They decided to move forward their schedule, as the size of the task they were engaging in was enormous. Harry owled Emily asking her if it would be possible for her to start early, while Hermione tried to convince one of her parents to take them back to Diagon Alley so they could do a number of different things. Dan and Emma decided that for the rest of the time Hermione was at home, one of them would always be home to supervise the two of them. Money was not likely to be a problem in the future if they achieved what they want to achieve.

Dan drew the short straw and had to take them to Diagon Alley for the day. The first stop was the Outcast London hideout where they met the leader again. The leader's identity was always hidden, as the authorities would likely hunt him down if they knew who he was. He always wore a mask that hid his face and changed his voice.

"You are back for more?" the leader said.

"We could not get enough of your company," Harry joked.

"Who can get enough of this," the leader said with his hand indicating his body.

"As if. Can we get back to business now?"

"Thank you for the food by the way. It was much appreciated but next time can you get magical food as the Muggle food has chemicals that some of us react badly too?"

"We will see what we can do; maybe you pick it yourself next time. Anyway, we need to employ a curse-breaker."

"While don't you do some shopping, and I will organise a few people to see you when you get back."

"Before we go, here is a present for you," Hermione said giving the leader the trunk full of clothes and stationery from the room of lost things.

Harry, Hermione and Dan left to go shopping.

They decided to buy three of the biggest magical tents the store had. The biggest tent would be used for holding the unsorted stuff. Another tent would be for Emily to live in so that she had a different place to live from her work, and the final tent would have the most protection and would be used by the new employee to examine dark objects and break curses. The tent they have already would now house the sorted items. Dan loved these magical tents, and he reserved to keep them once they were finished with them. Harry paid for the tents using the money they found in the Room of Lost Things so far. They headed to the trunk store to buy some more of the really big trunks, as the trunks in the room of lost things were too small for their purpose, and they could not be shrink like these ones could. The store owner was very happy to see Harry and Hermione again.

When he found out that they wanted 8 more of the trunks, the store owner became extra helpful. As they were buying eight trunks this time, they got a better discount with extra features like better security on all the trunks. Harry had one of the trunks have extra protections from the contents. The owner asked why he needed the extra protection. Harry said he had received a lot gifts over the years for defeating the Dark Lord and due to the publicity associated with the fictional book series about him. Some people had sent him cursed items, which he want to contain in this trunk. The other trunks were for moving the gifts from their current location to a place where the could be sorted.

Satisfied with that answer, the store owner said the trunks would take a while. He could get one or two of the more basic trunks finished later today but the other ones might take a bit longer. So an agreement was reached where they would come back later today to pick up whatever he had finish, and they would pick up the rest later. Harry paid half the cost of the trunks with the other half each time he picked up a completed trunk.

Harry, Hermione and Dan went back to the Outcast Hideout. There were something like twenty odd people applying for the curse-breaker position. It took a long time to interview them all but in the end, Harry and Hermione, picked Doug, a werewolf. He was a talented curse-breaker working for Gringotts when he got bitten by a werewolf and lost his job. Since he was classified a dark creature due to his werewolf status, he had not been able find work since he was turned. He was going to start work tomorrow and he was going to move into his tent the day after, as he needed to added extra protection on the tent to protect the Grangers, Harry and Emily from his werewolf side. They went back to the trunk store to pick up the two completed trunks, and Harry decided to pay for the rest of the trunks and get Doug or Emily to pick them up the next time they come to Diagon Alley. They also pick up a few pairs of protective gloves and aprons from the apothecary for Doug and Emily before going home.

Dan marveled again as the magical tents were set up in their backyard. All Harry and Hermione needed to do was point their wand at the tent and push some magic at it (which was not detected by the Ministry as no spell was done), then the tent would set up by itself with charms, enchantments and runes to ensure no Muggle neighbours would notice a thing. While they were setting up the tents, Emily replied saying she was okay to start work tomorrow.

After the tents were set up, Harry and Hermione resumed filling trunk loads of items from the room of lost things then dumping the stuff into the tent that would be used for sorting. The old sorting tent was cleared out of all the unsorted stuff by Hermione in preparation of the arrival of Emily and Doug.

It was Emma Granger's turn to supervise the children. Emily arrived first and got to settle into the tent that was going to be used as her living quarters. Once she unpacked, Emily spent an enjoyable hour getting to know Hermione, Harry and Emma. Once Doug arrived, they got to work. They were shown the various tents and what they were used for, as well as how to sort through the ever growing pile of unsorted items into their various categories. Once they got the new trunks from the trunk store it would make it a lot easier.

Doug volunteered to check at the trunk store to see if they had completed the new trunks yet. After everyone had lunch in the house, Emily started sorting the stuff out while Doug began improving the protection on the tents, especially his new tent. Harry and Hermione continued moving items from the Room of Lost Things to the unsorted tent. Doug stayed for dinner so that Dan could get to know Doug and Emily better.

By the end of the week, Emily and Doug had started a routine for sorting through the junk. The new trunks had been picked up. Dan had started the share trading account and had started trading. Hermione had been looking through the library they had just started, while Harry was busy moving stiff stufffrom the Room of Lost things to the unsorted tent.

On Saturday, Emma answered the door to reveal Remus finally coming over to start selling some stuff for them. They had a lot of stuff for him to sell as they had been able to almost fill up one of the extra large new trunks they recent brought with magical stuff he could sell. Remus was then introduced to Dan Granger by Harry, while Hermione went to warn Emily and Doug not to go into the house as they had visitor on the premise of getting the trunk load of stuff to be sold. Harry told Remus to bring back the empty trunk so that they could swap it for another trunk full of stuff that they had filled in the mean time with stuff he could sell. The next day, a member of the Outcast Organisation would come around to pick up stuff to be given to the Outcasts in a similar trunk swap arrangement.

When it came time for Harry and Hermione to go Hogwarts, Remus had settled into a routine where he would drop off the old trunk with anything he did not think he could sell, any money he made after taking his cut in, and picking up the new trunk of stuff to be sold. Anything that was not sold was put in a different trunk, which Harry or Hermione would look through and put in the junk pile, give to the Outcasts or keep for use later. The money Remus received was left in whatever currency or goods he received the payment in, including books at the request of Hermione. Goods received in barter would be given to Hermione to determine how much to give to Remus for his cut.

Not all barters were successful but the occasional really successful barter would really offset the unsuccessful trades. These successes were usually really rare books. Hermione was training Emily to take over this job once Hermione went to back to school. When Hermione went back to school, Emily would calculate Remus cut, and Emma, or Dan, would give the money to Remus the next time he came around rather than have Hermione give Remus his cut of the bartered goods.

Remus was quite happy with this arrangement, as he was making nice a bit of money from this job of selling stuff on Harry's behalf while having the satisfaction of helping Harry. The money that was made was used to pay for some supplies, buy any rare/necessary book, pay Emily and Doug, and the remainder was converted into British Pounds for Dan to invest.

Dan, Emma, Harry, Hermione and the Outcast Organisation were able to negotiate a deal where an Outcast member, who was about to pass over, would name Emma as the only beneficiary of the their estate and have Dan as the executor of the will. This would protect the Grangers from uncomfortable questions in the Muggle world about where they got the money from the magical world.

In exchange for doing this arrangement, the Outcast Organisation got an account, which the Grangers would regularly top up that would be used for food and basic supplies for the organisation. The major disadvantage of this arrangement was that the Grangers would have to pay death taxes on all the British Pounds that Dan banked. Another disadvantage was the extra paperwork that this would generate but a big advantage was that the British Magical Ministry would get nothing in terms of taxes except for the conversion from Galleons to British pounds. This arrangement also allowed them to start selling the Muggle stuff. At first Dan was thinking of selling the low-value stuff to pawn shops but after talking to some of his dental patients, he found someone to sell all his low value stuff in bulk without much trouble on his part. The expensive stuff like Muggle paintings, furniture and jewelry, of which many were antiques, would be handled by an auction later on.

The last day before Harry and Hermione left for Hogwarts was hectic. Everything had to be packed. Hermione had to decide which books she wanted to take with her on the train to Hogwarts. Emily wanted to confirm something in regards to the calculation of Remus's cut for non-cash payments. Doug was busy removing charms and curses from Harry that Dumbledore placed. Dan wanted Hermione to confirm the investment strategy they developed, and Emma wanted to spend some time with Hermione before she left for school.


	3. Chapter 2  Train Ride

Chapter 2

Harry was not looking forward to confronting the man who he had considered like a grandfather to him but turnout be be one of the evillest person he had ever met including Voldemort. He could deal with Snape, Draco and Ron but Dumbledore was a totally different matter. To find out everything he said was a lie and to have been played so thoroughly by him made Harry made. This person was the reason why he was an orphan, he was the reason why he endured 10 years of constant hell, controlled everything in his life even after his death and then suffer through a loveless marriage. He really want to kill him, put him out down like the sick puppy that he is but he knew he could. Instead he had to prepare and once he ready then strike but at least he had Hermione to help.

They left for the King's Cross station early as Hermione loves being prepared and in control. While Hermione and her parents had a tearful farewell especially on the part of Dan and Emma, Harry had started hunting for a rat that he could transfigure into a lookalike to Scabbers. Just before Dan and Emma left to go to work, they hugged Harry. Dan said

"Take care of our little girl and no funny business, okay?"

"I will do everything I can. Hermione is a very resource young woman. You don't have to worry."

"Take care of yourself and do not do anything rash. Try to think things through before you act and if you unsure ask Hermione, Dan or Myself. You don't need to do everything on your own."

Harry continued hunting for rats, he had about 5 rats but he wanted something slightly bigger as the closer to Scabbers, the original rat was the easier the transfiguration and the longer the transfiguration would hold. By the time students he recognise started appearing, he stopped his hunt and pick the rat closest to Scabbers and killed the other rats he caught. He joined Hermione who had picked their carriage and had been reading some of the rare tomes they had collected so far. Harry started looking at the notes on the limited progress Hermione had made finding a way of controlling the Basilisk. She knew it was possible as Voldemort were able to so, if he can she should also be able to.

As soon as the train starts, Hermione swaps her book with an historic version of _Hogwarts: A brief history._ While Harry exchanges his books about Basilisks for books about how to repair ceilings and improving structural integrity of caves be used on the ceilings of the chamber of secrets. The change is books is to stop people asking too much questions about their reading materials. They were totally focused on their reading material to really notice when Ron comes in looking around. Once Ron spots Harry. He asked

"Can I sit with you guys?"

"It is a free country." Harry responds.

Harry whispers to Hermione. "How could I miss the obvious setup?"

"You were young and naive. Just another example of Dumbledore taking advantage of you." Hermione whispers back

"What are you guys reading?" Ron asks to try to spark a conservation.

Hermione shows him her book and Harry does the same. Ron tries again.

"Do you know what house you are in?"

"We will let whatever makes the decision decide. As it probably has a lot of experience doing so." Harry says.

"What do you of Quidditich?" Ron asks

Hermione begins ranting.

"It is a very dangerous sport and it should be banned. Putting your life at risk for a sport is pointless. Throwing things at people to knock them off a broom is being irresponsible."

Ron quickly asks Harry to try to stop the lecture.

"How about you, Harry?"

"I agree with Hermione, 100 percent."

"By the way, I am Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter"

"Are you really, the Harry Potter?" Ron said excitedly

"I am a Harry Potter but not sure about the Harry Potter."

"Do you have the scar? Can I see it?"

Harry showed him the scar.

"You are definitely, the Harry Potter."

"Who is this Harry Potter?'

"He is the guy who defeated the Dark Lord and survived a killing curse."

"I don't remember doing any of those things. You must have got me mixed up with someone else."

Hermione was trying hard not to start laughing. She hid it by pretending to read her book.

Ron kept describing all the things that the fictional character from the children's books had done. While Harry kept denying everything doing any of those things. After a while Harry got tire of it and went back to reading ignoring the constant flow of words coming from Ron's mouth. When Neville comes around looking for his toad, Trevor. Harry and Hermione both jump at the chance to get away from Ron by offering to help Neville look for Trevor. They don't like Ron due to what he did to Hermione and what his family did Harry. Neville did nothing wrong, it is just his inaction and the fact his grandmother helped Dumbledore implement a lot of his pure-blood policies meant they would not help him in case she got wind of what they were doing so he was a non-entity to them.

Ron also offered to help because he did not want to be left alone. He tried to follow Harry but Harry said he wanted to be with his friend, Hermione and that Ron should go with Neville. Once Ron was safely out of the way, Harry and Hermione went back the carriage and swapped the fake Scabbers with the real one. Then put a curse on the fake Scabbers that would kill in a month's time and make it really tire during that month. That way when it died Harry and Hermione can not be blame for its death. The real Scabbers aka Wormtail aka Peter was stunned then placed in an unbreakable cage in Harry's trunk.

They then went in search of the Weasley twins using point me charms. Harry makes sure the twins see him using the point me charm pointing to them.

"Does any of your guys seen an parchment with a map of Hogwarts on it?"

"What is it to you?" One of the twins asked.

"It was my father's and I want it back." Harry did not like using emotional blackmail but they needed the map for a number of reasons. The main reason is that it would prevent anyone from tracking them using the Marauders' Map.

"Why would we give up something that valuable?"

"I will give you two galleons for it."

"50 Galleons"

"That is a lot of money, 5 galleons."

"20 Galleons and you tell us about your father and his friends."

"15 Galleons."

"Deal". The Twin said in unison.

Harry started to count out 15 galleons while the twins were digging in their pockets before taking a parchment out their pockets. After Harry handed them the money, the twins gave him a map of Hogwarts but not the Marauders' Map.

"This is not my father's map."

This time the twins give him the real map.

"What can you time us about your father?"

"I don't know as I did not get to know him before he died. He mentioned this map and how to locate in a letter I got from him. This is one of the only links I have to him"

"Sorry to hear that."

"He must have be a great guy to make that with his friends."

"I can't tell you. Since I never knew him."

"Sorry to hear that. What was your father's name?"

"James Potter."

"You are Harry Potter? My sister is going be jealous we met you."

"You talking about the other Harry Potter. I did not do any thing special it is the other guy."

"There are two Harry Potters."

"Maybe because I did not do anything that the Harry Potter supposedly have done."

"Do you know who the other Marauders are?"

"Like I said I did not know my father."

"Why don't you take some candy?"

"I will save some for later. Nice you meetings. I got to get going. What are your names? You never mentioned before"

"I am Gred and his is Forge. We are the famous Weasley twins. This is Lee Jordan a close friend of ours."

"See you guys around."

Harry quickly put the candy in his pocket to prank Ron later.

Harry met Hermione who was hiding in case Harry was not able to get the Map she would steal the map under a disillusionment charm while Harry distracted them. They went back to the carriage and found Ron waiting for them.

"Where have you be?" Ron said

"We were out looking for the toad when we stopped to talk to some people. What is to you anyway?" Harry said irritated by Ron.

"I have been waiting for you guys to come back."

"We have nothing in common to talk about. You like Quidditch, I like reading and hanging out with my friend, Hermione." Harry stated and Hermione hugged him for his statement and said

"That's so sweet. Thank you Harry."

"Fine" Ron said angrily. Grabbed his stuff and left in a huff.

"Finally" they both said. Then started laughing.

"Damn, I had some of the twin's candy I wanted to give to Ron." Harry said in fake frustration.

"We can slip it in with his stuff later." Hermione said slyly

"You should be in Slytherin with that plan."

"Imagine what Dumbledore's or Snape's reaction if you were sorted into Slytherin."

"I'm almost tempted to do so just for their reaction."

"What house should we be in, Harry?"

"I don't know I let you decide and I will follow you into whatever house you are in."

"That's no help. Do you want to go back to Griffindor?"

"I don't know. I prefer not to listen to him snore or watch his disgusting eating habits."

"I agree Griffindor is out. As I don't think I can be in the same class with him in every subject without killing him."

"Slytherin is out as I can't stand Snape and I refuse to share a dorm with Draco."

"I don't want to share a dorm with Pansy and Milicent. Can you image waking up to them."

"So either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw."

"That's fine by me."

"So we agree to be in the same house."

"Okay"

They hug and go back to reading until Draco and his goons showed up. Harry knows he can't get worked up by Draco Malfoy.

"I heard that Harry Potter is on this train."

"I am a Harry Potter but if you looking for the Harry Potter I can't help you."

"You mean there are two Harry Potters on the train."

"The other Harry Potter seem to have done incredible and impossible things unlike me."

"Are you related to the other Potter?" Draco asked

"I would not know, I was raised by non-magical peoples." Harry reply

"So are you a mudblood?"

"If you mean I was raised by non-magical then yes?"

"How about you? Are your parents our kind?"

"Same as Harry here." Hermione replied

"Let us gets out of here, the stink from these two mudbloods are turning my stomach. I still want to find the Real Harry Potter so that he can meet the proper people like me." Draco said as he left.

Using the one of the old wands they found in the Room of Lost Things, Harry hit all three of them with a spell as they were leaving.

"What spell did you hit him ?"

"Just a Diarrhoea spell, I found a few years ago."

"You got teach my that spell?"

Harry showed Hermione how the spell is done.

"How long before it takes effect?"

"A few minutes but if you it too often on the same the person, they will start suffering from malnutrition."

The rest of the trip was spent reading through their materials and having pleasant conservation. They did put the prank candy from the twins in Ron's trunk before they headed to the castle.


	4. Chapter 3 Sorting and Settling in

Chapter 3 – Sorting Ceremony and Settling In

The boat ride was uneventful even though it was shared with Neville and Ron. Hermione started reciting facts about Hogwarts just to piss off Ron and Neville. Harry was trying hard not to laugh at what Hermione was doing. It was made funny when she started making things up like people use to regularly get lost in Hogwarts, Dementors roams the halls after curfew, there are ghosts that enjoy possessing students at night, there are rooms full of spiders the size of dogs, Professor Snape is trying to get body parts for his experiments so he makes potions as dangerous as possible and etc. Harry decided to confirm the rumour the twins made up about needing to battle a troll to determine your house. Ron and Neville were both pissing in fear once the boat ride ended. They bolt up the steps to get away from the two bookworms. Once they were out of sight, Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. Everyone looked at them as though they were weird.

Malfoy came over before the sorting began.

"So you are the Harry Potter as there are no other by that name on the train I checked. Why did you lie before?"

"Everything I said is true. What has been said about me is false."

"Let's start over. I am Draco Malfoy."

"I am glad you know your own name. Did it take you long to learn it?"

Hermione seeing how things are heading had silently casts the diarrhoea spell on Draco while they were talking.

"Are you calling me stupid? You mudblood."

"Compare to you a brain dead pigeon is smart. Must be all that inbreeding. Is your mother, the first or second cousin, to you father?"

"Wait until my father hears about this. You will regret it."

"You can't think for yourself. You need your father to do your thinking for you. Do you share a brain cell with you Daddy is that why need wait for him to tell you what to do?"

Draco whips out his wand and then the diarrhoea charm sets in.

"I will get you for this." Draco screams as he running to the toilet .

Harry whispers to Hermione. "Why did you do that for? I was trying to get him to do a spell and fail and look pathetic."

"Sorry, It was just the perfect opportunity to test out that spell you just taught me."

Due to the charm, Draco misses the sorting hat song and the sorting of a few students. Neville and Ron were angry at Harry and Hermione for giving them all that false information especially in regards to the sorting ceremony. They kept sending Harry, dirty looks which, Harry thought was really funny. Draco was back before the sorting of Hermione. It took a long time for the Sorting Hat to decide which house to put her in. But in the end it decided on Ravenclaw. Harry could hear Draco in the background telling Pansy that she was probably a squib and the hat did not know where to put her which was why it took so long.

Harry's name was called and the silence of the room followed by the sound of people gossiping was quiet unnerving, Everyone was staring at him when he walked up the to the Sorting Stand. He put the hat on.

"Another interesting mind. Please lower shields." the Hat said.

"Just put me in Ravenclaw and let go at that." Harry replied.

"Just lower your shields, nothing I find will be passed on to any one else. Privacy is something I take very seriously."

"Give me one good reason why I should,"

"I can help with advise or I can pass on messages to you about what Dumbledore."

"If you reveal what you learn or do not help me I will burn you to a crisp. Do we understand each other?"

"Okay"

Harry lowered the shields on his minds. The hat immediately started going through Harry's memories.

"I can see how the other me had such a great trouble sorting you. Your actions are truly Griffindor, your plans with Hermione plus your ability to lead are pure Slytherin, you are smart enough for Ravenclaw and your loyalty to your friends is great but the abuse of your trust has lead you to your current path. So Hufflepuff is out as they are unlikely to able live up to standards of loyalty. You would suit Slytherin, but I know you want to go to Ravenclaw so that it is where I am going to place. I don't you want to be set on fire by you if I choose differently. I can give you the Griffindor's sword but not right now. I am sure the founders would have agreed with what you are doing so I will try to help you where I can. I should be able to keep the headmaster from tracking you and Hermione within Hogwarts and I might be able to pass on an occasional message. Best of Luck. "

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry immediately raised his shields and was instantly bombarded by Dumbledore trying to get inside his mind before he could react. But the shock on his and everyone's face was hilarious to Harry. It like all of Dumbledore's plans came crashing down. The Ravenclaw table started clapping and some polite clapping from Slytherin. Some people from Hufflepuff began clapping but the major did not know what to make of it. Griffindor were in shock, all of them thought Harry would sorted in their house or Slytherin if he was evil but not this.

Harry went over to sit next to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table. He was to welcomed to the house by the other members of Ravenclaw then the sorting continue with no variation from last time. Even the constant staring from Snape, Dumbledore, Quirrel and McGonagall was the same as last time. During the actual meal, Harry and Hermione got to know the other Ravenclaws better than they did last time. They were twelve people in Ravenclaw this year including Hermione and Harry. Cho and Mariette were trying to befriend the new girls in Ravenclaw including Hermione. But Hermione rejected them, she strongly suspected that these girls were trying to for a clique that she did not want to be a part of.

The boys at Ravenclaw were alright but Harry was hesitate about developing any close bonds with them for two reasons. First reason he would be leaving in a few years he did not want to become attach to anyone but Hermione who was going with him. Second reason is that the betrayals from his closest friends had made reluctant to make new friends in this environment as he was sure that Dumbledore would end up corrupting them. He will just wait until they start at the Salem Institute before making new friends. As such he was already an outsider with Hermione joining him as an outsider as she refuses to join any clique.

At the end of the meal, the prefects began taking the students to their dormitories. Professor McGonagall came and asked Harry to accompany her to the headmaster's office.

"Hello, Harry. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Sir."

"How have you been, Harry?"

"Alright, is this how you treat all your famous students?"

"I knew your parents, I was just surprised when you were sorted into Ravenclaw as your parents were both in Griffindor. They would have wanted you in Griffindor like them."

"I never knew my parents, so I never knew what they wanted. I grew up with my Aunt, Uncle and my cousin who would not care which house I got into "

"How did they treat you?"

"Okay, Before I forget, I got a private letter from my parents. My father told me to pick up my family heirloom, his invisible cloak from you since you borrowed before he died. So can I have it now?"

"Why don't I hold onto it until you are older?"

"My father wanted me to have now. He was explicit that I get now and he gave a detail description of the cloak. I will expect the cloak tomorrow. It is getting late, I want to go to bed. Is there anything else?"

"No, Goodnight Harry."

Harry quickly leaves the Headmaster's office.

"Crazy old loon. He forgot to get someone to show me the directions to the Ravenclaw dorms.

Harry uses the Marauders' map to get to the Ravenclaw Dorms. Hermione was waiting for Harry in the Ravenclaw Common Room. She could see he was upset so she hugged him.

"I am sorry. I almost lost my temper at Dumbledore and spilled the beans on our entire plan."

"It is alright."

The other people looked at the crying Harry and thought he was weird. Harry stayed in Hermione's arms until one of the Prefects showed up to take Harry to his new dorm.

The next morning Harry and Hermione woke up early and headed straight to the library. Hermione continued researching her various pet projects in the general area of the library. Using one of the wands she had transfigured one of the other chairs at her table to look like Harry. Meanwhile Harry was using stealth charms he learnt from auror training to sneak into the restricted section of the library and start copying books. When ever someone looked like going to their table Hermione would make the fake Harry walk to the shelves past the real Harry. Then the real Harry would follow behind the fake Harry and they were in the shelves. The real Harry could cancel out the Disillusionment Spell and Hermione's Transfiguration and meet whoever was coming over. Harry and Hermione both borrowed a lot of books from the library before heading to breakfast.

A/N Some of my reviews have said I need a beta. So if you are interested in being my beta please message me.


	5. Chapter 4 Classes

Chapter 4 – Classes

First class was herbology with the the Slytherins. Draco walked up to Harry.

"I am going to get you expelled for that spell you did on you."

"I have not done a single spell on you at Hogwarts. Every saw where my hands were the entire time we talking. I never used my wand."

"I know it was you."

"Prove it."

Draco and his two bodyguards walked away as Professor Sprout came in. Harry went to work with Hermione. Hermione got out her alternate wand and did a spell on Draco as Harry blocked Professor Sprout view. Harry whispered to Hermione.

"What did you do?"

"Just wait and see."

It was half way through the class before Draco made a fuss. It appear as though Draco's hands had been stuck to the back of his pants and when Crabbe and Goyle tried to help, they too got stuck to Draco's backside. Harry asked Hermione

"What curse was that?"

"It is not a curse, its a protection charm to prevent theft. I found it in one of the rare tome Remus got us. It makes the thief stick to the object that they want to steal and can not remove it for entire. Anyone who tries to help them gets stuck as well. I did change it so that only males who help Draco would get stuck and the charm is localised to the back side of Draco. The beauty of this charm is that it is a protection charm is the nurse in all likelihood would not be able to identify it. Image trying to go to the toilet while stuck."

"That is an image I don't need. You have to teach me that charm."

They went back to work. After class was a free period before lunch and then charms with the Griffindors. During the free period, Harry and Hermione went to the Room of Lost things. While Harry did the grunt work by moving stuff from the room to the sorting tent, Hermione was either copying books, doing experiments or doing research. Hermione also wrote a letter requesting the status of her order of blank books. Harry did ask Doug to buy a load of prank stuff and load it into one of the trunks from the Room of Lost Things.

At lunch, Draco and his friends were not seen but the rumour was that they were still at the infirmary. Snape were staring at Harry through out lunch. Harry and Hermione mainly spoke to each other but would occasional answer a question directed at them.

Professor Flitwick fell off his stack of books when Harry came in the room for charms with the Griffindors like last time. But this time, Hermione did not try to answer every question as she did not need the validation any more. Instead she and Harry were busy trying to frighten Neville and Ron. This had a number of different purposes. The first purpose was to ensure Ron avoid them as much as possible since neither wanted anything to do with him. Second purpose, if their credibility is destroyed, their power within school would be destroyed and people would more likely to think for themselves when the loudest spokespeople for the opposing pure blood ideologies are both marginalised. It forces the focus on other issues which is what the traditionalists like the Malfoys and the Weasleys do not want. Harry had transfigured their quills into spiders which would change back to quills when it left their hands. Then Hermione would use the same quills and transfigure them into the Thing from the Adams Family and have it start feeling them up. It was a get artform to get the reaction they wanted from Ron and Neville without anyone seeing the cause to validate their concerns. By the end of the class Ron and Neville were looking around constantly like their were paranoid.

Before dinner, Harry had copy the map of the school from the book, Hogwarts: A History. As anticipated, Harry was called by Professor Flitwick after dinner to go to the Headmaster's office. Harry re-enforce his mental shields before going to Dumbledore's office.

"Good Evening, Harry."

"Good evening sir."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to show you the way to your dorms last night."

"It is alright, sir. I had a map and I believe in being prepared."

Harry could see the flash of disappointment on Dumbledore's face at that statement. Before he quickly recovered and tried to hide the disappointment.

"That is good to hear." Dumbledore said without really meaning it.

"Have got my father's invisible cloak."

"Yes, Here it is." As Dumbledore passed Harry the cloak.

Harry started a careful inspection of the cloak to ensure it was the correct cloak and not a fake.

"Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't know you and I think history books are crap." Knowing that this was a dig at Dumbledore's reputation.

"You should trust me people, it better way to live your life."

"Trust needs to me earned and the fact that the cloak was in your possession rather than in my vault has made me trust you less. Returning does not negate the possession."

"I want to build that trust between as I knew your parents well."

"I don't think so, building a relationship is built on time spent together. It would hamper my relationship with my classmates if I am constantly called to the headmaster's office. People would think I am a trouble maker, a suck up or a snitch all of which would prevent me from developing a friendship with my classmates."

"You know you can come to me if you have a problem?"

"I doubt I will as you will probably busy. I will more likely go to one of the Professors."

Seeing that he was not getting anything he wanted, Dumbledore said good night and Harry left.

Harry rushed to the library where Hermione was continuing her researching.

"How did it go, Harry?"

"Alright, I think. Dumbledore is seriously re-evaluating his plans concerning me and I believe that it might be possible he might use Neville instead of me."

"That would be good but we can't just hope that this is case we need to plan."

"I believe we need to get the twins and Peeves to keep the staff occupied while we make the necessary changes."

"We can get the twins to target Snape and Draco while we get Peeves to target Neville and Ron."

"We can workout how sell it to them later. We should get back to work."

They complete their homework before Hermione resumes her research while Harry continues his copying of the restricted section. When the library was about to close. They borrow some more books before going to the Ravenclaw common room. Hermione and Harry then discuss the progress of Hermione's research while they copy more books under notice me not charms. Occasional Hermione would illustrate something to demonstrate the point or she would do spell to show Harry. Just before curfew Harry would go to his dorm room's toilet's and try out some of the spells, Hermione was working on.

The next morning it was the weekend. So they head off to the library early and to continue their research and copying. At breakfast, Hermione finally receive the order of blank books she placed. They head to the Room of Lost Things just after breakfast making sure no one is following them by checking the Marauders' Map. They head to the Grangers' place where Harry has Doug remove all the tracking, monitoring and whatever other charms Dumbledore or any staff may have put on Harry, Hermione and Harry's cloak. Harry also gives Scabbers to Doug to take care of and he forgot yesterday to do so. When Emily and Doug were told they would be taught the mind arts from the two preteens. The shock on their faces were very funny. Hermione taught Emily and while Harry was instructing Doug. Harry and Hermione stayed for lunch at the Grangers to have a meeting with Dan and Emma, to discuss the progress of their projects. Emma first asks Hermione.

"How is school dear? Is it like your memories or is it really different?"

"It is the same and a lot of respects but my perspective is different."

"How about you, Harry?"

"It is alright. Too early to tell really."

"Well down to business, the sorting and selling is going well. We are netting about 2750 pounds of profit per week. That is even after you take in to consideration the all the settling up costs. The profit number is actual amount received and does not include unrealised sales like the things we are keeping, the growing stockpile of stuff that Remus has not sold yet, anything expensive that we need to sell at auction. Now Dan would be talking about the Investment side of things."

"We have invested 85 percentage of the liquid assets we have available. Positive returns on investments on some stocks would not show for several months yet as most of the major economies currently in recession and likely to remain that way for at least another 6 months according to your information. One or two of the stocks have already achieve some positive gains."

"The copying of the books at Hogwarts is slow going with only small sections of the restricted section of the Hogwarts' library, common section and the one in the Ravenclaw common room copied. We have decided that Emily and Doug would be shown the copying spells after Halloween as the rate we are going we would not have finish copying all the books at Hogwarts by the time we leave."

"I will have get Doug to make some purchases on my behalf"

"I need Emily to pay for some stuff for me too."

"That's fine." Emma replied.

Before going back to Hogwarts, Harry collected the trunk full of prank materials and asked Doug to use his contacts and the Outcasts to find books about Basilisks and Parselmouths. The cost of the books can be taken from the amount they receive from Remus. He also asks for another trunk of pranks. Hermione orders a load of blank books to be delivered at the Grangers rather than Hogwarts so that it was not that suspicious. She also asks Emily to pay for the blank books she already received using money they were finding in the Room of Lost Things. They both leave for Hogwarts after giving Emily and Doug instructions on what exercises they need to improve their mind arts.

At dinner, just as they were coming into the great hall, Harry silently sends a parselmouth sticking spell to Draco using his alternate wand. Draco is now stuck to his bench and he and friends are trying desperately to get him off the bench. Harry passes the alternate wand to Hermione when they sit down together at the Ravenclaw table. Professor Snape tries to help Draco but fails as the spell is in Parselmouth. Snape then stomps up to Harry.

"What did you do to Draco?"

"I have done nothing to Draco, Sir"

"We both know is you who did."

"Where your proof?"

"Detention all week with me."

"Professor Flitwick, I need your assistance." Harry yells. Snape tries to walk away before Flitwick arrives but Hermione silently sends a tripping spell at Snape. By the time Snape recovers from his fall. Professor Flitwick had arrived at the scene.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"No problem." Snape says.

"I just got an unfair detention for something I did not do." Harry states.

"You did not do. You were arguing with Draco every time something happens to him."

"I was not arguing just now when whatever happened to Draco occurred. You can check my wand if you want to?" Harry then passes the wand to Flitwick to check.

"There were no unusual spells on this wand. Snape I believe you owe this young man an apology for falsely accusing him of doing something."

"How about those detentions?" Harry quickly adds.

"Fine, I know it was you. I will prove it." Snape says angrily.

"I think it is just a curse I have on death eaters and their children. It is like I got protection from people meaning me harm. Are you a death eater, as you just tripped just then like the curse taking affect."

Sanpe stalked away angrily. After Professor Flitwick goes away slightly amused. Their meal continues now without any farther interruptions. At the end of the meal, Hermione leans over to Harry and says.

"Nice touch with the curse. Now we have a ready made cover for all those things we do to Snape and Draco."

"I liked it. I hope that Crabbe and Goyle are still trying to help Draco get off the seat when the curse finally fades in a few minutes."

"I am almost tempted staying around just to watch that happen but we have too much work to be done. To the library."

Harry and Hermione resume their research and copying. After the library comes they go to the Room of Requirement for a hour to try experiment with what Hermione had found. Then off to bed. This routine was repeated the next day library, Grangers, library, room of requirement and finally bed. Draco and Snape would just stare at Harry during meals.

Double potions with Hufflepuff was first up on Monday morning. Hermione looked up a curse for this class. As Harry was harassed by Professor Snape, Hermione used her alternate wand to hit Snape with a curse that made his hair itch like he had lice both on his head and at his groin. Once Snape turned his back to the class, Hermione used a stronger version of the curse. Then as it looks like Snape is about to leave go to the infirmary, she uses the counter curse on him and a protection spell to prevent magical treatment being effective. The inflammation would maintain the itch and since he be forced to use muggle methods he should be out of action for at least a few days.

The potions lesson was therefore cut short. Hermione recommended that we do the potions he had on the board. A lot of the hufflepuff students left and a few Ravenclaw students joined them. She then changed the recipe on the board a bit to improve the stability and the effectiveness of the potion. When the remaining students why she was doing so, she explained each change. Harry worked on the potion at the front with Hermione giving him directions as he worked. A lot of the other students were following Harry's example and asking Hermione a question about the process. When someone asked how she became so good at potions. She said that as she is muggle-born she could not do spells at home but potions is allowed. So she had a lot practice before Hogwarts started. As students left their finished potions on Snape's desk, they thanked Hermione for her help.

At lunch, Professor Dumbledore came over to Harry.

"Harry what did you do to Professor Snape?"

"I did nothing, sir. What happened to Professor Snape?"

"You know bloody what happened. You cursed Snape because he was criticising you. Harry, I have to punish you for this, a month detention with Filch and 100 point deduction from Ravenclaw. You can not go around attacking professors."

"I did no such thing. You can have Professor Flitwick check my wand. I did not attack Professor Snape."

"Professor Flitwick! Can you come over I am having a dispute with the headmaster and he is making baseless accusations. I need you to vilify that I am telling the truth." Harry yelled

Professor Flitwick was able to confirm that no curse was fired from Harry's wand at the absolute frustration of Dumbledore.

"How about the detentions and the points, Sir? Since I did not attack Professor Snape are you going to cancel the detention and reinstate the points?"

Dumbledore stormed off and said "Yeah, the detentions are cancelled and the points reinstated."

Harry said just loud enough for most people to hear "It is the curse I tell you. I wonder what the next stage of the curse will be?"

Then it was time for History of magic where Hermione and Harry worked on their private research rather than listen to Professor Binn drone on. Then it was finally Defence Against Dark Arts and the Voldemort possessed Professor Quirrell. Professor Quirrell tried to attack Harry's mind without success. In fact, Professor Quirrell got a massive headache from the failed attack. After the success Harry had at repelling the attack from Voldemort. Harry had decided that he will try and attack Voldemort's mind and try to find useful information that they could use. That night before the library closed, Harry spent some time researching the mind arts while Hermione copied books from the Restricted Section of the library. When the library was closing, Harry and Hermione go back to their dorm and work on their mental shields using the new information Harry had found about the mind arts.

The next morning, Harry proceeded with his research while Hermione continued copying. Hermione kept saying.

"I need to teach Doug and Emily this spell so I don't have to copy these books myself. Instead I can be learning from them."

Harry would laugh every time Hermione would say that.

At their transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall was tougher than before on Harry. No where near as bad as Professor Sanpe but still bad. She was a tougher marker on Harry's work and she criticised his efforts.

The rest of the week went in the same pattern with Harry and Hermione going to class, copying/researching in the library, going to the Grangers, move some more stuff from the Room of Lost Things, going to the Room of Requirement to experiment and finally working on their mind shields. Hermione was doing well despite her attempts at scaring Ron and Neville and pranking Draco. A big bonus was the Professor Snape was out the entire week due to the inflammation of head, groin and his arm pits. The only noteworthy thing to occur was the recruitment of Peeves. In return for scaring Neville and Ron plus some distraction occasional to help them plus protecction from his pranks, Peeves got a trunk load of pranks every three months, they are at Hogwarts. So Peeves were dropping Dung bombs regularly in the boys First year Griffindor dorms, he would release rats in Ron's or Neville's trunks and etc.


	6. Chapter 5 Potions

A/N A big thank you to Amusant for being my beta. I take responsibility for any errors that still exist.

Chapter 5 – Potions

The first day that Snape was seen in public after Hermione cursed him was met by laughter in the Great Hall as everyone saw that his hair was clean, for once.

Harry whispered to Hermione, "This is the first time I've ever seen his hair actually clean."

"I heard that he was washing his hair a lot because of the itching. And he was too distracted to brew potions with the itching driving him crazy. He wanted to continue his classes so that he take out his frustrations on his students. But Dumbledore had to forbid him, a teacher scratching feverishly at his groin all the time would be very unprofessional and inappropriate, even for him. So he was forced to read instead."

"Watch! Snape can't stand the snickering, he's already getting up and leaving. Our next potion class is going to be absolute hell, you know."

"Don't worry, I've got you covered. Just lend me your glasses before Potions class."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to hex your glasses with an image that will hypnotize him when he tries to use Legilimency on you again. You would have him in your complete control without anyone ever knowing."

"I love you, Hermione. Have I told you that?"

"Nice to hear. But we are still way too young."

This brightened Harry's day. Instead of dreading Potions, Harry was now seriously looking forward to it.

"We need to be subtle about this."

"Hermione. Why don't you give me help me control him so I don't go too overboard, okay?"

"Alright. Let me work out what to do. How about making Snape give all of his students Outstandings, give us unlimited passes to the restricted section and then tell us all of his deep, dark secrets?"

"Can we use the glasses on Voldemort too?"

"No, you can easily use your scar or one of Voldemort's Horcruxes to access to his mind. Your hexed glasses will still require direct eye contact. So it wouldn't work. It's a pity though, just imagine what we could do!"

Later that day, Harry and Hermione went to the Granger home, where Hermione approached Doug and Emily.

"How are your mental exercises going?"

Doug responded. "It's taking me quite a while to reach a really peaceful state. So getting to where I can access those memories... Well, it's going, but pretty slowly."

"That's alright, you're a man of action just like Harry, so working at something like this is going to be as tough for you as it is for him. Just hang in there. How about you, Emily?"

"I am slowly sorting through my memories."

"So you might be ready for the next stage soon."

"I don't know about that."

"Back to the reason we came. Doug, have been able to buy the other trunk of pranks?"

"Yes, got it right here, Harry."

"How about those books about Basilisks and Parselmouths?"

"I have only been able to find a few books on those subjects."

"Thanks. We'll start reading them tonight."

"Doug, can you get the anti-petrification potion?"

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"Can you also get some live sheep or cattle that have been Stunned?"

"That'll be easy."

"I want to pick them up next week, if possible."

"Okay, that is doable."

"Emily have you paid for those blank books for me and ordered more?"

"Yes, I have paid off your account and have more books on order. Do you want all of the ones they have in stock right now?"

"That would be great."

"When will the rest of the order arrive?"

"Sometime in the next few days."

"You both did a great job, thank you."

As soon as Harry reach the Room of Lost Things, he moved Ravenclaw's diadem from the room to the Granger home for safekeeping. He also locked the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Lost Things so that if Voldemort came looking for the diadem he wouldn't go straight to the Grangers'. Classes with Professor Quirrell were difficult on both sides. Harry was forced to constantly shield his mind and Professor Quirrell got severe headaches from his many attempts to use Legilimens on his student.

Finally, their regular classes with Snape resumed. Harry was looking for toward to trying out his newly hexed glasses. Snape rushed into the classroom with his cloak billowing as usual.

"Put away your wands, you will not be needing them."

"Potter. where is your essay on the boils potion?"

"Here it is, sir."

Harry handed in the essay, that Snape had ordered the Slytherin and Griffindors do for homework. Hermione had made sure it was the same as last time by asking Padma to check it for them. Harry had prepared the homework at Hermione's suggestion. That Harry was now very thankful for.

"This is not long enough, Mr. Potter. You are supposed to be a Ravenclaw. Detention with me tonight."

"Potter, collect everyone's homework."

Only a few students had done their homework.

"Potter, why did you not tell your fellow classmates to do the assigned homework? You now have an additional week of detention."

Hermione had finally had enough and she knew Harry couldn't take much more either. She cursed Snape again, same as last time.

Snape immediately started scratching and he knew something was wrong again. Just as he was about to leave, Hermione hit him with an overpowered tripping curse that made him lose consciousness. While he was down, Hermione hit him with the diarrhea curse and reversed the itching curse she had used on him minutes ago. When Snape finally woke up, Professor McGonagall was standing over him with his potion class all looking down at him with complete disgust. Snape suddenly realised he had pooped his pants while he was passed out. Snape fled to his private quarters to shower and change.

The Weasley twins came over to Harry later that day.

"What did you"

"do to Snape?"

"We could never"

"take out a teacher"

"without getting expelled."

"I did not do anthing. It was the curse."

"Give us a break."

"No curse works like that."

"How about the DADA position?"

"You got us there."

"Before you guys go, I have a proposal to prove who are the current best pranksters in Hogwarts."

"We are listening."

"Why don't we go to a empty classroom so that we can discuss this proposal a little more privately?"

"Lead away."

"We are intrigued."

"I know that you are both entrepreneurs and pranksters. Here's my proposition, if you are willing to agree to certain terms. I have discovered a method of smuggling things into the castle without getting caught. And I'm willing to let you in on it if if you agree to the following terms. One, you don't try to find out how. Two, you need to distract the other students and teachers from my activities. Especially Draco and his friends. Three, don't ask me to bring in anything illegal. Four, you don't tell on me if you are caught. And finally, I get 50 percent of your profits."

"We will need to discuss it."

"I will give you half hour. I'll be just outside the door while you two discuss it."

After half an hour, Harry was called back in.

"We believe your cut"

"is too high."

"What do you believe is a reasonable percentage?"

"10 percent"

"as we are taking a greater risk."

"40 percent as I am risking a family heirloom."

"30 percent is our final offer."

"Deal. Here is the contract, why don't you read through it before signing."

"I think we've been had"

"But it is such a good deal!"

"So we are in agreement, then?"

"Yeah"

"Why don't you read through the document? I'll be back."

Harry went to the Ravenclaw dorms to retrieve the trunk full of prank items and went back to the classroom. After making sure it was the same document as the one he gave them earlier and that there were no changes to it, Harry and the Weasley twins signed the agreement.

"What's in the trunk?"

"To celebrate our new agreement, I decided to give you this trunkload of pranks to torture and Draco his friends with. This trunk, once emptied, can be used to do the exchanges. It will be much less suspicious if we aren't always seen together. We can leave it in one of the many spare classrooms, which will be locked with the Marauders' Oath. You put the order in writing with the maximum price you are willing to pay. You'll need to give me a 10 percent deposit when you place your order. If the items cost more than the maximum you are willing to pay, the client can either agree to it or I will keep the deposit. The deposit is forfeited if the item is illegal in the UK, if they cancel the order once I receive it or if the item is not available. Orders with special instructions or animals can be knocked back and will attract a premium of 20 percent or more if accepted."

"That should work."

"I will let you set the prices since you guys know the market better."

They designated a classroom on the sixth floor near the Room of Requirement to be their regular drop off and pick up point.

Harry's detention was transferred to Filch as Snape was forced to spend the rest of the day and night in the infirmary for observation. So Harry had to polish the trophy cabinet again.

The next night, Harry had detention with Snape in his office. As expected, Snape attacked Harry with Legimens as soon as he set foot in Snape's office. Harry was fighting off Snape's mental attack with all he had, then the attack slowly started to ease. After half an hour, Snape was totally under Harry's control and susceptible to any suggestion he made. This was because Snape had to lower his mental barriers to launch the mental attack and the hypnotism attacked the teacher's fully exposed mind. Harry had Snape give him all his secrets including all the potion formulas he had personally created. By the end of detention, Snape was still going so Harry created a post-hypnotic suggestion that would allow him to control Snape whenever he wanted.

So for the next few nights, Harry would go to Snape's office for "detention" with Hermione following under his invisibility cloak. Snape would then pass off all of his secrets to Hermione and give Harry and Hermione unlimited passes to the restricted section of the library. Snape would get them any rare books he had access to, gave them rare potion ingredients and taught Hermione everything she would ever need to know about potions. At the end of the detentions, Harry and Hermione had plenty of blackmail material, not just on Snape and all the other Hogwarts professors, but high-placed ministry officials as well. Snape was also selling potions on the side to supplement his income. Hermione found out who his major customers and started competing for their business with Snape brewing all of the potions, if Hermione was successful. Basically, Snape was undercutting himself and making money for Harry and Hermione.

Harry's classes with Snape became loads of fun, even though the class still did not learn anything from him. Snape would come in rampaging and Harry would use the post-hypnotic suggestion to get Snape to calm down. Even then, he still could not teach and if anyone asked Harry what he did, Harry would always blame it on the curse.

Hermione started a daily class teaching the various subjects to the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students of their year. There were certain conditions for the attendance of the class/group study. The conditions were the students wouldn't engage in bullying, they would promote equality, they would not bother Hermione or Harry between classes except for meals, they would behave themselves during classes and they would not report anything Hermione or Harry did to any of their professors.


	7. Chapter 6 Annoying Shadows and Rita

Chapter 6 – Annoying shadows, Business and Rita

Hermione's birthday was a very quiet affair. No one, save Harry, sent her a card, because none of her Hogwarts schoolmates knew it was her birthday. Harry was extra helpful throughout the day, but there was no obvious indication that it was anything other than an ordinary day for Hermione. That afternoon, Hermione cancelled her study group so she and Harry could slip out to have her birthday dinner with the Grangers. There was a small celebration with only Harry, Doug, Emily, Emma and Dan in attendance. They all gave her rare books as presents, Doug having used his contacts to purchase books for the others. Harry, on the other hand, had used Snape to get even rarer tomes for Hermione.

Ron and Neville were extremely suspicious of Harry and Hermione's absence from dinner that night. The next day, while Hermione was busily researching and Harry was copying books from the restricted section, Ron and Neville came over to pester Hermione about it. Sticking to their usual routine, Harry came back to the table a little later. Harry could see that Hermione was rapidly losing her temper with Ron in particular. She hated Ron, now that she thought it through. Hermione considered what Ron did to be a form of rape.

Harry marched over to confront the bothersome pair.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Just hanging around some friends." Ron replied.

"We are not your friends and we have never been your friends,. So I ask again, what are you guys doing here?"

"We know you and Hermione are up to something and we're going to find out, one way or another."

"What gave you that idea?"

"The two of you skipped dinner last night, you skip lunch quite often on the weekends and you, Harry, are always doing something with my twin brothers, which I don't like."

"I am friends with your brothers, they are very funny and cool, unlike some others I could name. Hermione, let's go. I don't want to hang around these two losers."

Hermione and Harry packed their stuff and headed straight back to the Ravenclaw dorms with the two boys trailing behind them all the way. Ron and Neville even tried to follow them into their common room.

"You don't belong to this house. What do you think you're doing?" Harry had raised his voice loudly enough that some of the older Ravenclaw students walked over to investigate.

"We just want to hang around with you," Ron replied, even as Neville grabbed his arm, trying to get a subborn Ron to leave.

Michael Rogers raised a suspicious eyebrow, asking, "Have either of you been invited by a Ravenclaw or are you a student of this house?"

"No."

Ron tried to come in anyway, but Rogers shoved him back towards the door.

"Then get out and don't try to come in again or we will inform Professor Flitwick. Goodbye."

Ron and Neville left, visibly disgruntled.

"Thanks, you guys. Those two idiots are constantly following us around like two lost puppies. I felt like strangling them."

"Harry Potter fans?"

"I don't know and I don't care. See you guys later."

Harry and Hermione found themselves a quiet corner in the common room and Harry checked the Marauders' Map.

"Damn, I don't believe it. They're still there."

Harry went to his room to get one of the invisibility cloaks they found in the Room of Lost Things and Hermione went looking for a few members of her study group. She found Lisa, Mandy and Isobel sitting at a desk in the common room doing their homework.

"Can I ask a big favour from you lot?"

"Sure! What can we help you with, Hermione?"

"We need you girls to cover Harry and me as we try to escape a pair of annoying boys who insist on following us around. In return, I will help you with your homework in the library."

"We have a deal,"" the girls said in unison as Hermione was, even now, well-known as the smartest girl in school.

"Harry, over here." Hermione called.

"So what do you need us to do."

"Walk out as you do normally, just keep the door open a bit longer than you usually do. Thanks."

"How are you going to get out without them seeing you?"

"With this." Harry pulled out an invisibility cloak with a flourish.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?"

"Yes it is. Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go. We will meet you in the library."

Harry and Hermione were able lose the boys using the chattering girls to hide their exit. After spending an hour fulfilling their side of the bargain, they continued with what they were doing before Ron and Neville interrupted them.

At the next class the Ravenclaws shared with the Gryffindors, Ron and Neville tried to sit next to Harry and Hermione. But Harry and Hermione moved away to avoid them. When Ron and Neville tried to follow, Lisa and her group intervened to stop them.

Over the next few days, Ron and Neville continued to follow them around as much as they possibly could. Harry and Hermione kept using the same strategy of going to the Ravenclaw Common room to lose them, but Ron and Neville eventually realized they were going to slip out to the library and started lying in wait for them there. If Harry or Hermione spotted their stalkers before they reached their seats, they would surreptitiously cast the Sonorus charm on the duo, resulting in Ron and Neville getting kicked out of the library by Madam Pince for talking too loudly.

In classes, Harry and Hermione had help from the study group. Between the lot of them, Ron and Neville were constantly getting into trouble and earning loads of detentions. But they still refused to give up, so Hermione and Harry decided to up the ante.

They arranged for their friends to incite a nasty argument between Draco and Ron, resulting in Draco challenging Ron to a duel in the trophy room at midnight. Harry and Hermione, who had been quietly observing, ran away in glee when the challenge was issued as they had some serious plotting to do. Late that night, after curfew, they went in search of Peeves.

"Peeves, we need your help with a prank for tomorrow."

"Peeves is listening."

"Tonight at midnight, two Gryffindors are going to the trophy room on a dare. We thought we would offer them a little extra challenge, with your kind assistance."

The poltergeist was visibly intrigued.

"Go on."

"We would like to dress you up as a dementor and scare the living daylights out of them."

Peeves cackled madly.

"Oooh, that's good! I will have to remember that one for future reference."

"So you'll do it?"

"Of course. I wouldn't pass this chance up for anything."

"Here is the coat. We will have to be with you to make you seem like a real dementor."

"You won't tell on us? If you do, we will stop giving you the prank stuff."

"Peeves swears not to tell a soul."

"Meet us at the second floor near the stairs to third floor at 11:30 tonight."

"Peeves will see you there."

By 11:30 that night, Harry, Hermione and Peeves had worked out the fine details of the plan. Peeves was thoroughly enjoying himself, flying about the room in a cunningly transfigured dementor costume that was nothing at all like the lame bedsheet disguise that Draco and his friends had used in the past. Hermione cleverly added some extra-special effects like a billowing cloak that spewed a chilly fog to add a touch of realism that was very much like the bone-chilling cold that was part of being in the presence of a true dementor.

Peeves floated patiently near the entrance to the third floor while Harry and Hermione hid under an invisibility cloak with a notice-me-not charm added that was specifically keyed to kneazles. Peeves heard Ron and Neville running in his direction and grinned widely, savoring his moment. It was showtime! As the boys rushed past him, completely oblivious, Peeves began slowly billowing towards them.

Feeling a sudden cold draft, the clueless victims turned to find a hungry, black dementor eagerly reaching for them. Ron and Neville immediately began screaming at the top of their lungs, frozen to the spot in sheer terror. When Peeves drifted down towards Ron's face as if preparing to deliver the Kiss, the boys went white, turned tail and fled as if their lives depended on it.

Harry and Hermione then used their spare wands to silently inflict Ron and Neville with an obscure nightmare curse that would plague their dreams with everything that they feared the most, making sleep next to impossible. Harry and Hermione grinned at each other under the cloak. Their night of mischief was now complete. Quite pleased with the resounding success of their plan, the duo headed off to relieve Peeves of his dementor disguise before getting some sleep themselves.

The next morning, Harry and Hermione discovered, to their great delight, that Ron and Neville had lost Gryffindor 100 points each and were both ordered to serve a month of detentions for being caught out after curfew. That harsh punishment plus their restless nights finally forced them to leave Harry and Hermione alone.

At last, a routine for the joint venture between the Weasley twins and Harry could now be established. Twice a week, the twins would drop off money to pay for their completed orders plus a deposit for any new orders. They then could fetch their newly-delivered goods to distribute to their customers and reap their profits. The twins had clients from every house in Hogwarts with a surprising amount being in Slytherin. The Slytherins, as it turned out, were the ones who ordered the most expensive items. Most orders were food-related, such as high-quality chocolates, ice cream and from the Muggle-born students, favorite muggle soft drinks. Using the Weasley twins' inventiveness and expertise to order unique birthday presents was also a common practice.

Harry never dealt with any customers directly, instead all orders were taken in writing and hidden under the Marauders' Oath. The orders and the money would then be given to Doug. Doug would carefully examine the list, crossing off any illegal items and making a careful note on the particulars. Then he would through to the previously sorted items from the Room of Lost Things, filling as many orders that could easily be passed off as new. The remaining list he would send to his contacts or go shopping to make the necessary purchases. Orders that would take longer than usual to fill would be so noted. At the end of the week, Doug would update the list of outstanding orders with comments like Illegal, Delayed, Unavailable. Then the filled order would be sent to the twins who would then give Harry his cut of the profits and any customer complaints. These complaints would be passed to Doug to deal with and Doug would be paid his share of the profits. If there were any urgent or special orders, the twins would approach Harry during meals or at Hermione's study group to make special arrangements.

In the scheme of things, it wasn't all that much. But it was better than nothing. Doug was trying to boost sales by creating a priced list of items they had to sell from the Room of Lost Things. Once the list was completed, Harry would pass it on to the Weasley twins where they would add their own fee.

Knowing that their arrangement could potentially be discovered by snooping reporter Rita Skeeter, Hermione forced Harry to make a deal with the devil. Harry owled Rita to meet him at the Herbology greenhouses the following afternoon, at lunch time, in her beetle form.

Rita arrived right on schedule and Harry picked her up and took her to an empty greenhouse. Rita turned back into her human form after Harry locked the door.

"I was surprised to hear from you, Mr. Potter. How did you find out that I'm a beetle animagus?"

"We all have our secrets, Ms. Skeeter. By the way, this is not an interview. Instead, this is a business proposition, I am willing to pay you 100 galleons per month to protect my public image and trash Dumbledore's. Any additional dirt you discover or assistance in my other business endeavours will earn you a nice bonus."

"That sort of work is worth way more that a measley 100 galleons. It needs to be at least 1000 galleons."

"I will not report you as an illegal animagus to the authorities."

"Okay, say 500 galleons per month."

"300 galleons per month for 12 months and we re-evaluate the deal after that."

"Deal."

"Here's the contract, I had it drawn up earlier. Look it over. I'll be back soon."

A while later, Harry came back into the greenhouse classroom and they signed the contract.

"Here is your first month's pay and a 200 galleon signing bonus."

"Nice doing business you, Harry. You really should do an interview to get your voice out there, though."

"I will do so eventually, but not right now."

"I will get the exclusive interview?"

"Only if you do a good job destroying Dumbledore's reputation for me."

"I will get right on it. Expect my first story to be published sometime next week.."

"Here's a little tidbit to get you started; Albus and Gelbert Grindelwald were very close friends. Talk to his brother, Aberforth. He is bound to have plenty of dirt on his brother."

"Thanks, that should give me a good place to start digging."

Rita changed back to beetle form and left.

A/N Thank you for stick with this story despite my bad grammar and spelling. I will also like give an extra big thank you for everyone that have wrote a review to this story.

Just so you know, I have a poll on my profile on how I will get rid off Draco.


	8. Chapter 7 Basilisk

_**Disclaimer:**__ The Harry Potter universe is owned by JK Rowling. I do not claim ownership, or do this for any monetary gain, and fully understand she can shut me down any time she pleases._

_A/N Spoken in Parselmouth_

Chapter 7 - Basilisk

That Friday night, Harry and Hermione were fully prepared and free to head off to the Chamber of Secrets unaccompanied by a pair of bothersome idiots. But first they headed over to the Granger home to pick up their supplies and the stunned livestock to feed the hungry Basilisk.

"What are you two doing?"

"Dealing with an issue before it becomes a real problem."

"Like facing an overgrown snake? I read the books that Harry ordered. It wasn't too hard to put two and two together."

"It is just a snake and there will be two of us there. We'll even bring a couple of rooster to help protect us. So everything will be fine, you don't need to worry, honest."

"You're talking about a gigantic snake that can kill with a single look, Harry!"

"Yeah, we know, but Hermione designed us some sunglasses that will protect us from the Basilisk's gaze."

"How big is that thing if you need that much livestock to feed it?"

"It's pretty big, but it's trapped at the moment and really hungry. We need to do this, alright? You don't want a whole bunch of students to end up being killed because we failed to act, do you?"

"Alright, just promise me you'll be careful."

"We will."

"Come back safely."

Harry and Hermione left the Grangers and headed to the Chamber of Secrets with a packed trunk full of stuff they needed for the upcoming confrontation. Once they made their way to the passageway leading to the chamber, they began to re-enforce the ceiling to hopefully avoid another cave-in like last time. Hermione opened the trunk and got busy while Harry went to swipe a few roosters. By the time Harry got back, Hermione had completely finished unpacking. They put on the special safety glasses Hermione had developed and put a silencing charm on the roosters. Hermione then slipped on an invisibility coat and followed Harry into the Chamber of secrets.

"_Speak to me, Slytherin, the greatest of the four founders." _

Suddenly, the Basilisk slithered into view, hissing ominously.

"_You are not my master's heir. What are you doing in my master's sacred place?"_

"_I am trying to bring the line back into the light. You can work with me or you can die. Your choice."_ Harry gestured to the roosters trailing behind him.

"_I should kill you, pathetic little human."_

"_If you do, you will die as well. You have four options. You can kill me and die of starvation after my people close off all the entrances to this chamber. You can have die a quick death courtesy of these roosters. You can retend to work with me and die from starvation once your betrayal is discovered. Or you choose to live, to work with me and be fed well. What is your choice?"_

"_When you say work with you, human, what do you mean?"_

"_My friends and I will harvest the useful parts of your body without causing you harm. I recommend that you sleep when my friends and I aren't here."_

The Basilisk reared back, astounded. Then he hissed angrily.

_"You wish to use me as a domesticated farm animal!"_

"_Yes, but it means you get to live. If you behave. In a few years, we might even allow you outside again."_

"_Can you give me live prey at least?"_

"_We can do that."_

"_Okay, I will help you."_

"_If you wait here, I will bring you some food. Your prey will be Stunned, but I'll wake them up for you."_

So Harry brings in the stunned livestock and he wakes them up. Then leaves so that the Basilisk can eat in peace. Hermione follows Harry out of the chamber.

"It went better than I expected, but not quite as good as it could have," Hermione said from behind him, making Harry jump.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! I was still too wound up from that encounter and here you come sneaking up on me, still under the invisibility cloak and nearly scare me out of my skin!"

"Why don't you calm down and relax, Harry? You can collect the old Basilisk skin while I return the roosters, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan." Harry took a calming breath and ambled over to gather up the shedded Basilisk skin.

Hermione stared at her friend for a long moment, before letting out an exasperated huff. "Aren't you forgetting something?".

"What?"

"Kindly open the door for me, would you? Unlike you, I don't speak snake."

"Okay, coming."

"Don't forget to keep the door open."

"Yes, Professor."

"I am going to get you for that." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose at him as she left to return their feathered friends.

Harry folded the basilisk skin neatly into the bottom of their empty trunk, then packed the unbreakable jars of Basilisk venom on top.

As soon as Hermione returned, she and Harry went back into the chamber to find that the Basilisk had eaten all the livestock and looked quite full and sleepy. Harry took the opportunity to harvest her venom while Hermione searched the chamber for more shedded skin. Harry were able to remove two fangs that had become rather loose. When the Basilisk had finally fell asleep, Harry and Hermione took stock of the lair and found even more skin and fangs but, unfortunately, no secret Slytherin study or library.

They headed back to the Granger house with a trunk filled to overflowing with Basilisk skin, fangs and venom. Dan and Emma had waited up for their return. As soon as Dan and Emma saw them, they went to hug Hermione and gave a brief hug to Harry as well.

"See, nothing to worry about. We're perfectly fine."

"How did it go?"

"We managed to strike a deal with the Basilisk and got loads of stuff in return."

"Details, please?"

"Tomorrow, if you don't mind. We really need to go to bed."

"Okay, tomorrow. Perhaps over lunch?"

"Sounds good to us, thanks."

They headed upstairs for a quick shower apiece before going back to the Ravenclaw dorms for a good night's sleep.

The next day, they woke late and went to the Grangers for a hearty brunch.

As soon as they all sat down and started digging in, Emma was ready with the first questions.

"What happened last night?"

"We found a very unhappy, very hungry snake. Threatened it, fed it, got what we wanted." Harry smirked, visibly pleased with himself..

"Tell us, Hermione, what happened."

"Exactly what Harry said."

"Stop being funny and tell us."

"There's really not that much to tell."

Dan and Emma kept badgering for details. Harry and Hermione politely refused to give them any more information, so as not want to scare the living life out of Hermione's parents.

After brunch, they gave the shedded skin and venom to Doug. Half of it would sold by Doug with 10 percent of the profits to be split three ways, between Doug, Emily and the Outcast organisation as early Christmas bonuses.

Doug loved this job because he could be active, he was learning from Harry and Hermione, the role was varied so he never was bored, he could see the potential the Grangers had, he got an opportunity to meet different people and he was making really good money. Emily was also very happy with her job; she got to experiment and use her brain, she got to read amazing books that she never would have dreamed of having access to before and she was making good money. On top of that, Dan, Emma, Hermione and Harry always treated them with kindness and respect. Really, what more could anyone ask for?

Harry and Hermione then took the rest of the day off. Harry went flying, careful as always not to fly too well. The last thing he needed was to be pestered to join the Ravenclaw quidditch team and he wasn't planning on trying out next year either. The broom he was using was old, but still a very good one that he had found in Room of Lost Things. Hermione was stretched out under a tree, alternating between watching Harry fly and reading her book when an angry Dumbledore came storming down from the castle looking for Harry.

"Harry, what happened to all the money in your trust account?"

"What concern is it of yours?"

"I just don't want you to waste all the Potter galleons on frivolous things. It is suppose to last you through the years of your education!"

"Thank you for your concern, sir, but it is still none of your business."

"It's my responsibility as your magical guardian to look out for your best interests and to ensure you aren't neglecting your magical needs."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? My money has been carefully invested."

"Invested? May I ask in what?"

"Sorry, can't say. Confidential agreement, you see."

"Say no more, Harry. I don't want you to lose your magic."

Dumbledore stomped back to the castle in a huff.

"I invested in you, my darling," Harry whispered to Hermione.

"He probably just learned about Rita's investigation into his dealings and was likely trying to pay someone off with your money."

"Why do you think I emptied my account?" Harry smirked.

"I just wonder how much of your money Dumbledore went through in the time between your parents' deaths and your entry into the magical world."

"I have no idea. All I know is that once the money is gone, it is virtually impossible to recover. My training as an auror taught me that."

They had a relaxing weekend to recover from the stress of their dealings with the Basilisk. Harry did go back on Saturday night to talk to it and to work out what its regular needs would be. Then they attached a magical catheter to the snake so that they could get some of its blood without causing it any harm. The visit netted them even more venom, some blood and two more fangs. Harry used the opportunity to work out a regular schedule to manage the Basilisk's care and feeding while harvesting what they could. For the snake and human comfort, Harry added runes around the chamber to heat the creature's lair to a constant, comfortable temperature. They would feed it weekly, then once a month it would shed its skin which would be harvested after it ate. The better the Basilisk was fed, the more often it would shed its valuable skin.

On Monday, in the Great Hall, there were shocked faces everywhere after the Daily Prophetwas delivered. Harry received a free copy, compliments of Rita Skeeter and smiled with satisfaction when he saw the morning paper's headline:

Dumbledore and Grindelwald Were Lovers!

By Rita Skeeter

In a shocking discovery, this intrepid reporter obtained damning proof that the late Dark Lord whose capture made Albus Dumbledore's career was none other than his intimate friend and lover, Gellert Grindelwald. They had worked together to achieve what they called "the Greater Good", which Dumbledore continues to prattle on about to this very day. We should all wonder exactly what these two wizards considered to be "the Greater Good". Rest assured, this reporter fully intends to continue to investigate until she learns the whole truth of the matter.

No one ever came forward to bear witness to Dumbledore's defeat of his friend, Gellert. For all we know, they never fought and it was all a setup between the two to enable Albus to further their joint goals. Currently, Grindelwald's exact location is unknown. He is rumored be a resident of a magical prison with his meals provided solely by house elves. Dumbledore, it is rumored, is the only one to have knowledge of and access to this unnamed prison.

This most unusual arrangement begs the following question: Do we really want someone with such close ties to a previous dark lord to be responsible for our precious children's education? Both Minister of Magic Fudge and prominent pureblood society figure, Lucius Malfoy, agree that Dumbledore's affairs should be scrutinized much more closely. More shocking revelations to come as the Prophet's investigation continues!

As soon as Dumbledore and Snape saw the Prophet's lead story, they were both fuming. The other teachers were not much better, Professor McGonagall in particular. But there was nothing they could do about since everything that was written was true and was now public knowledge. Snape was now walking on a fine tightrope. If he was seen to favor the children of the darker families too much, the families on the side of the light would crucify him without Dumbledore there to protect him. And if he didn't favour the progeny of dark families enough, their Death Eater parents would be out for his blood. To top it all off, he was making far fewer galleons of late, now that his most lucrative contracts had been taken over by a new player. Professor Quirrell, however, was completely delighted with the situation, taking enormous pleasure in seeing his old enemy being crucified by the wizarding press.

Dumbeldore ate his breakfast as quickly as possible and left the Great Hall immediately after. As a highly experienced politician, he was well aware that appearance was everything. So he was doing his very best to behave as normally as possible to avoid giving Skeeter's story any more credibility. But, in truth, the headmaster was seething inside and would begin gathering his forces together to mount a silent, but cunning counter-offensive. His enemies wouldn't know what hit them. Dumbledore smiled.

Harry and Hermione had become quite close friends with Susan Bones as a result of Susan's faithful attendance of Hermione's study group sessions. After the article, Harry and Hermione approached both Susan and her friend, Hannah, to discuss their reaction to the article.

"Hi Susan, Hannah," Harry and Hermione greeted the two Hufflepuff girls.

"Hi Harry, Hermione," the girls responded, smiling sweetly.

"So, what do you think about the article about Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald?"

"If it was anyone other than Rita Skeeter who wrote that story, I would be considerably more inclined to believe it," Susan stated.

"How about you, Hannah?"

"I don't know, if Skeeter can provide actual proof, then I would have believe her story is true."

"How do you think the rest of wizarding Britain will react to the news?"

"I think if there's real proof to back up the story, then Dumbledore's power base will take a major hit. Even more, it'll give my aunty the ammunition to investigate some cases that have really been bothering her."

"Who is your aunt?"

"Amelia Bones, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Wow, we head no idea. We were both raised by Muggles, you see."

"No problem. I thought everyone knew since we share the same surname."

"So does your aunt have issues with Dumbledore?"

"You could say that, yeah. My aunt really believes in justice but Dumbledore believes in second, third and fourth chances for some people, but has a zero tolerance policy towards others. She thinks he's a real nutter, to be honest."

"Would she stand up to Dumbledore and his old boys club if she had to in the name of justice?"

"Oh yes, definitely. Especially when a case involves one of his precious pureblood family members."

"That's really good to know."

"Why are so interested in my aunt?"

"Harry has a case he needs to present which involves a serious miscarriage of justice. He's building the case, but he isn't quite ready just yet."

"But you know, I take it?"

"I am his best friend. We share all our secrets with each other."

"We've got to go. Harry, whenever you're ready, just tell me and I'll contact my aunt for you."

"Thanks, Susan. See you later."


	9. Chapter 8 Voldemort and Outcast schools

Chapter 8 - Voldemort and the Outcast Schools

Harry and Hermione had planned to launch a mind attack on Voldemort the evening after Halloween, which would allow Harry a whole weekend to recover. Dumbledore would be kept busy dealing with the fallout from Rita's article, working madly to prevent any more of his mistakes from becoming public knowledge. But it might have encouraged Quirrell to speed up his timetable in order to take advantage of Dumbledore's temporary distraction, so they needed to act quickly.

At 5 pm, one hour before dinner, Harry and Hermione went in search of Professor Quirrell. As luck would have it, the professor was conveniently in his office.

*Knock, knock*

"Come on in!"

"Professor, Harry and I have a few questions about vampires. You don't mind us interrupting your work, do you?" Hermione inquired politely as they entered his office.

Quirrell was visibly irritated, but acquiesced.

"As long as you are quick about it. Is there is something specific you need?"

Harry and Hermione quickly made themselves comfortable while Quirrell was still talking.

"What kind of physiological changes occur when a person becomes a vampire, Professor?"

"Why do you ask?" Quirrell leaned forward, suddenly most curious as to where this was heading.

"As you know, vampires "live" a lot longer than the average human, even wizards. If we could learn what causes this, we could potentially discover a way to achieve the changes without turning the person completely. Why, it might lead to a much longer life span for all of us!"

While Hermione was busy diverting Professor Quirrell's attention, Harry seized the opportunity to attack Voldemort's mind. Quirrell promptly fell down screaming and clutching his head in agony. Harry had slumped forward in his seat, exhausted, but thankfully unharmed. As soon as Quirrell was unconscious, Hermione quickly began copying the books in his office, pausing only momentarily to munch on the sandwiches that she had brought with her. She transfigured a scrap of parchment into a handy bin, just in case exposure to Voldemort's twisted mind and memories made her friend physically ill.

Meanwhile, the mental battle between Harry and Voldemort was raging. Harry was methodically destroying Voldemort's mental barriers, one by one. Then he would give himself a break for the next round by looking briefly at one of Voldemort's less protected memories. Voldemort would manage to rebuild some of his barriers during the respite, but Harry would crush them as soon as he recovered, damaging the evil wizard's mind even more in the process. This fight continued for what seemed like hours to both, but was only about an hour in real time.

When Voldemort's mind gave out from sheer mental exhaustion, Harry started going through the evil wizard's most protected memories. He skimmed through most of them, but Harry made sure to take every last memory Voldemort had that related to the Horcruxes he had created and removed all traces of them from his mind. Then he carefully searched for memories regarding any hidden stashes of supplies such as spare wands, money, valuables, potion supplies and anything else they might find useful. Whenever he would uncover valuable information, Harry would destroy the original memory so that Voldemort would not know what information was taken. But he did leaves a few teasing fragments of those memories, just to piss Voldemort off. Harry then tampered with a few others to frustrate Voldemort even further.

When Harry finally had enough of the dark wizard's diseased mind, he carefully removed any clue that might lead to Voldemort, Snape or anyone else discovering that Harry was responsible for the damage to his mind. The attack was extremely successful, it had severely weakened Quirrell and Voldemort to the point that they wouldn't be able to do anything requiring much effort anytime soon. Harry smiled victoriously, pleased that everything had gone so well.

The next time, Harry planned to find out where Voldemort had acquired his vast wealth of magical knowledge, including which private libraries he had access to, and, above all, to make sure he hadn't missed anything important. He might not enjoy doing it, but it was a dirty job that had to be done, an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice on Harry's part.

As Harry slowly regained consciousness, Hermione quickly put Quirrell's books back in order and offered a hand to help her unsteady friend to his feet. Harry didn't need the bin, but he was very weak and exhausted from the prolonged mental conflict. As soon as she was done, Hermione Obliviated Quirrell's memory of their visit and magically cleaned his office, removing any physical hint that anyone other than he had been there. Then she wrapped her arm around a worn out Harry's waist and helped him back to Ravenclaw tower.

Once she got Harry settled, Hermione went to the kitchens to get Harry some nutritious and easily digestible soup. Meanwhile, Harry was stretched out on the sofa in the Ravenclaw common room, writing out a detailed report of everything he had learnt from Voldemort's mind, focusing on anything that could be acted on immediately, such as where various stashes of valuables could be found and how to get to them. Hermione came in as just Harry was finishing up.

Hermione smiled and set the tray of soup before her visibly exhausted friend.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been run over by a semi-trailer after going for a 50km run in the desert."

"That good, huh? I made you a few potions that should help you feel a bit better. Drink the first two before you eat this lovely soup and bread and the other three after you're finished."

Seeing how thoroughly wiped out Harry was, Hermione teased him gently.

"Is my little baby tired? Do you want me to feed you?"

Harry nodded his head.

"Here comes the aeroplane, open the hanger."

Harry opens his mouth and gratefully accepts the food. He was too tired to protest the babyish treatment Hermione was giving him.

Hermione hand-fed Harry the entire bowl of soup. After Harry finished his three after-dinner potions, he felt much better but still quite tired. Before Hermione left, she couldn't resist teasing him one last time.

"Does my little baby need me to sing him a lullaby?"

Harry weakly threw one of his pillows at Hermione.

"Just get out of here so I can rest."

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Hermione."

"See you in the morning."

The following morning, Harry woke up unusually late. Hermione had snuck him up a plate of bacon sandwiches so he could have something good to eat before class without being too late. After Harry finished his meal, Hermione leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still really tired, I think I'm suffering from a case of mild magical exhaustion."

"We need to attend classes as usual so Professor Quirrell and Voldemort don't suspect anything. Don't try to perform any spells today, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Hermione. I really appreciate it."

During Charms, Hermione carefully used her alternate wand to fake Harry's classroom participation, but used Harry's post-hypnotic suggestion to get Snape to dismiss their Potions class early. Hermione had to lead her study group session alone as Harry went straight to bed after classes and only reappeared at dinner before going to bed again.

The rest of the week was just as hard on Harry. He avoided performing magic if at all possible and slept as much as he could during the week, with Hermione providing as much cover as he needed. Hermione had to do everything by herself, including copying books, making her potions to compete with Snape, handling their joint venture with the Weasley twins, going the Grangers and heading the daily study group sessions.

On Saturday, in the late afternoon, Harry and Hermione went to the Granger home. As soon as they arrived, Dan and Emma worriedly approached Harry.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Before giving him a big hug. Harry gave Hermione his most potent death stare.

"I will get you for this one," Harry mock-growled at Hermione.

"How are you feeling, sugarplum?"

At that, Hermione, Dan and Emma burst out laughing at Harry's expression.

"So, really, how are you feeling, Harry?"

"I am okay, Just really tired, you know?"

"Do you think you are up to meeting someone?"

"Yes, as long as it is not too taxing."

"Doug!" Dan yelled to someone outside.

"What, Dan?"

"Can you pick up our guest now?"

"Sure thing, I will be back soon."

Doug apparated away.

"So, how is business?"

"The joint venture with the Weasleys are netting us about 50 galleons a week in profits, which isn't all that much, but it'is growing steadily. Profits from the sale of ROR stuff is around 2000 pounds a week. Potions is generating 2000 pounds a week too, but there is a huge untapped market out there which our guest hopes to tap into, with your assistance. The Basilisk parts are extremely valuable. Doug and the outcasts managed to sell the Basilisk venom and skin you gave them for a profit of 350,000 galleons or 1,750,000 pounds. Remus is in the process of selling his lot. We have netted over 4000 pounds in just this week, excluding all the monies from the sale of the Basilisk parts. Since our business has been so successful, we decided to hire someone part-time to handle the paperwork side of things."

"The person would need to be aware of the magical world. Why don't you hire someone full-time so they can take care of our growing library and help us keep track of our progress?"

"We didn't really think of that. Emma just did like all the paperwork needed for our operation."

"Why don't you get Doug to contact the Outcast organisation and have them pick out a few candidates for you to interview? Both of you would be working with this person much more closely than we ever will. So pick whoever you please, we don't really care."

"Get your accountant to train them for you," Hermione suggested.

"Do you have the livestock available for the Basilisk?"

"Yes, Doug prepared the shipment earlier, it's right next to the Vanishing Cabinet."

"Could you do us a favour? Instead of feeding the livestock, I was thinking we could hire a few hunters to catch and stun some Acromantulas for the Basilisk to eat. These hunters can also be used later as our crack security force. Do you mind interviewing any hunter candidates too? I'm pretty sure you can also harvest venom, silk and blood from the acromantulas. So we need harvesters as well. Offer them a percentage of the profits from the sale of Acromantula goods."

"So what are Acromantulas and where can they be found?"

"They are giant spiders that live in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. We will show the hunters around once you hire them."

"I think our guests are here. We will talk about these giant spiders later."

Two guests were brought in, judging by the costume one was the leader of England's Outcast organisation while the other was someone who Harry and Hermione had never met before

"Hello Harry, Hermione. I would like you to meet Ashley."

"Nice to meet you, Ashley." Harry and Hermione smiled welcomingly at the newest arrival.

"Nice to meet you both."

"Ashley recently gained her masters in Potions from one of the three small schools we run in America. Your belief in our organisation combined with the sale of Basilisk venom plus Hermione's entry into the high-end Potions black market has encouraged us to approach you with a proposition."

"What's the proposition?"

"I know you have access to extremely rare and expensive potions ingredients. Hermione, you have proven to be a very skilled brewer and you guys have the finances to get a good potion-making operation off the ground. Ashley can expand the operation by taking over the brewing while learning things from Hermione that aren't taught in the US anymore. It would free up Hermione to work on the other projects I understand you guys are developing. You will get half of the proceeds from any patented discoveries she makes while under contract with you. Ashley is one of our top master's graduates even though the degree isn't recognised internationally. We are hoping that working with you and having access to rare ingredients will result in her publishing a few papers in recognised Potions journals. This would increase her personal profile and our school's as well."

"Would she be an employee or a full business partner?" Harry asked.

"Whichever you prefer? I really want to learn from Hermione," Ashley replied easily.

"I think long-term contract employee is the ideal choice. What do you think, Hermione?"

"If I am going to teach her, she will need to keep our secrets. So I agree long-term employee. Do you agree, Ashley?"

"That's fine, depending on the pay."

"I'm thinking of starting out with a base pay and contracting you to make a set number of potions. Anything above that and you earn a percentage of the profit. Any discoveries you make are owned jointly by our company with your percentage of ownership determined by the amount of work you put in and how much of our resources you used to make the discovery. Any dispute of percentages would be arbitrated by the Outcast organisation with the leadership making the final judgement. In return for the Outcast's involvement, they get 2% of the profits from this new Potions venture. What do you think of those terms?"

"I can work with that," Ashley replied with a quick grin.

"I think the Outcast organisation will have no problem agreeing to that. Free money, if Ashley doesn't have any complaints. So, Ashley, work hard and don't complain."

"That seems pretty fair to me," Hermione agreed.

"Dan, can you have someone draw up a standard employment contract with those added terms?"

"Magical or Muggle?" Dan asked.

"I say Muggle, as Hermione believes in fair employment contracts with sick leave, maternity leave, holiday leave, etc. I leave it to you to work out the details with Ashley."

"Now you mentioned some Outcast schools? I have not heard of them."

"That is not surprising. Our schools don't quite have the best reputation. Not yet, anyway. They are really small and they operate at night and weekends only. Our professors are usually working remedial jobs during the day and then teaching at night and weekends. The schools are housed in small commercial buildings we own, along with a small library. We can't match the libraries of the top European schools. Or even Salem. As you know, books about magic are exceedingly valuable and the best books are purposely kept out-of-print to prevent the knowledge being passed to the newer schools like ours. Salem has a library only one-third of the size of Hogwarts and it is considered the finest in the US. It is one of the main reasons our master's degree is not recognised internationally. Well, that along with the fact that we only have a part-time teaching staff and they lack the books, money and resources to put into research. They aren't published that often and being published is a big part of winning international acceptance and recognition.

On top of that, our students are usually much older than most magical students, mostly they are pupils that the other schools didn't want to deal with, particularly the loners. Salem has the best international reputation even though they can't academically match the European schools. The heads of houses at Hogwarts are all internationally recognized in at least one field with McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout easily the most reknowned experts in their respective fields. Snape is the youngest potion master in history, but he is much too guarded with his discoveries. We are hoping that Ashley becomes something like McGonagall or Flitwick and comes back to teach at the Outcast schools. That way we can integrate with a few of the smaller Native American schools that cater to the education of students who aren't accepted into Salem. We will still have students who are rejected by the other schools, mostly Muggle-borns, half-bloods, mixed-race students and dark creatures, such as werewolves. In short, we need to improve our financial situation so we can afford full-time professors, obtain proper resources and build our school's standing in the international magical community."

"Why don't you have just one school rather than three?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"To teach magical creatures like werewolves and vampires in a facility separated from our regular students, also some students aren't able to travel. Not even our commercial buildings are large enough to contain our entire student body, anyway.

"Why can't they travel?"

"There are government regulations regarding Floo and Portkey travel for dark creatures like werewolves and vampires."

"Do the regulations include private Floo networks?"

"No, I believe it applies only to the public networks. The purpose is to prevent attacks on public locations using public Floos or Portkeys." Ashley replied with a sigh.

"Do you own the commercial buildings that house your schools?"

"Yes."

"May I offer you a suggestion? Why don't you try borrowing more funds using the three commercial properties as collateral. Use the funds to purchase a very large but inexpensive property that fits your needs. You could build three big schools on the property, with one designated for the Vampires, one for the werewolves and the last one where students can mix if they wish. Ban anyone who proves incapable of getting along with their fellow students. The common building could be used to house your library and hold sports events. Access to the school could be enabled by adding a few levels of underground parking. Cast a notice-me-not ward around the parking area to ward off any curious Muggles. Then build a Floo right into the parking area that can be accessed by the private Floo network. Once the new school is established, you could sell off the commercial buildings for a nice profit."

"Why we did not we think of that?"

Hermione smiled. "I've notice that logical thinking isn't practiced much in the wizarding world."

"Did you just insult us?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. If I bash you, I might lose the gifts you are providing like all the free clothing, food and money that we so desperately need. Do you have any idea how much clothing gets destroyed just because werewolves forget to strip down before they transform?"

"We're more than pleased to help, you know."

"Before we leave, would you mind looking for a close magical property for us to buy? Since Ashley is going to be working with us, she will need a shielded building in which to brew. A tent won't be sufficient. And Hermione needs where she can pop in to teach Ashley when she's available."

"It does not have to be all that close, I can easily side-apparate to and from here."

"There are other reasons too. Some of the more sensitive potions ingredients can't be moved by magical means."

"We can use our earnings from the sale of the Basilisk parts to fund the purchase of the property, plus any equipment and supplies she might need."

"By the way, Ashley, before you make any purchases, please talk to Doug to make sure we don't already have it."

"We need to go now, but do you mind staying with Doug and Emma to discuss the hiring of new employees?"

"Of course, I don't mind at all. You have both been an enormous help."


	10. Chapter 9 Preparation and ROR

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers. I am not making any money from this.

Chapter 9 – Preparations and Room of Requirement

On Sunday morning, Harry and Hermione visited the Grangers again to plan their first raid on Voldemort's secret stashes.

"You look a lot better, Harry," Emma said with a smile.

"Frankly, you looked like shit yesterday. You were a real mess," Dan added as he and Emma hugged Hermione in greeting.

"Does anyone else want to insult me, Hermione, Doug? No? How about you, Emily?"

"I did not see you yesterday, so it would be unfair of me to speculate. I will say you're very short and cute, will that do?"

Harry waggled his eyebrows and teased back. "Is that an offer?"

"Sorry, Harry, I prefer my men a bit more mature. Well, at least old enough to shave."

Harry feigned a truly pitiful expression of deep disappointment that made everyone burst out laughing.

"Doug, Emily, how are your mental exercises going?" Hermione asked after everyone calmed down a bit.

"We have both sorted out and organized our memories and are now practicing our basic mental defences."

"That's why we often hear Doug crying like a girl in the middle of the night," Dan said, jokingly.

Doug flushed and fired back. "I do not!"

"You definitely do so. There is nothing wrong with getting in touch with your feminine side," Dan added with a mischievous grin.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Boys, just stop. You are not going to start another wrestling match in this house, do you hear me?"

"Okay, people, why don't we get back to business? How did it go after we left yesterday?"

"It went well. We set up a lunch meeting with our lawyers on Monday to draw up a professional employment contract. The Outcast organisation will deal with all paperwork on the wizarding side of things."

"That sounds great. Did you talk to them about finding that administrative assistant you were looking for?"

"We're expecting a list of candidates to be sent to us by tomorrow. And we are both taking tomorrow afternoon off to meet with them."

"How about my Acromantula hunter/security candidates?"

"Outcast found several candidates who were very interested. In fact, they were willing to send over a few of them today, as many were eager to start as soon as possible. But we decided to wait until tomorrow so that we can sort through both sets of candidates at the same time."

"That sounds like a sensible plan. By the way, we've acquired some information regarding the locations of Voldemort's secret stashes of valuables, including the wards and protections surrounding them. Here are some copies of our list of sites and the protections on them. You will notice that nearly all of the locations are right here in the UK. There is just one other one in Albania."

Hermione passed everyone a copy of the map that Harry made after successfully gaining access to Voldemort's mind and then grabbed a fresh piece of paper and a pen.

After spending a few minutes looking over his copy, a wide-eyed Doug raised his head to stare at them both incredulously with more than a hint of fear in his eyes.

"You seriously expect me to accomplish all this on my own?"

"No! Are you daft, man? Of course, we don't expect you to do it alone. You couldn't even if you wanted to."

"Are you going to hire outside contractors to help?"

"No. You're going to be our main curse-breaker, but Harry can use his special talents to help you along. Emily will be going also and I'll be able to help you as well."

"No offence intended, but Harry and you are just a couple of kids. And Emily has no experience in curse-breaking at all."

"Hermione, this sounds really, really dangerous. I think you need to seriously consider hiring professional curse-breakers to pull this one off."

"Trust us, it's really not going to be all that difficult. We'll hardly be going in blind. We'll be going in knowing exactly what we're looking for and exactly how to get it, which makes the job ever so much easier. Especially when Harry, our resident parselmouth, will be right there to handle all the snakey parts."

"I don't like it. I still sounds entirely too dangerous."

"We really don't want any outsiders finding out about these sites. The information in these sites, cash money aside, will be invaluable to us in the future. We need to try at least one site."

"Doug, if the foray into the first site doesn't work, I have to insist that that you stun these two and bring them home immediately, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Dan, of course. I will make absolutely sure our young friends remain safe."

"Do you promise?"

"I give you my word."

"Thank you."

Doug whispered to Hermione, "You had better be right about this. I don't want to lose my bonus."

"Now that we've decided to go ahead, I think we need to carefully decide which one to try first."

"Albania is definitely out, at least for now."

"Private homes might be a bit more difficult to gain access to as well. Which means Hepzibah Smith's old home is out, along with Nott Manor, the Carrow country estate, the Avery holiday home and especially Riddle's manor."

"I think we should still consider Riddle Manor. Currently, there's only an old caretaker living there." Harry added.

"So that leaves us with the stashes in Hogsmeade, Wool's Orphanage, Borgin and Burke's, the Leaky Cauldron and Riddle Manor." Hermione said, as she finished crossing the other locations off the list of potential raid targets.

"Borgin and Burkes is out. I don't think our lot will have much success getting permission to visit their back room without one heck of a fight," Doug pointed out.

"Wool's Orphanage and Leaky Cauldron would be the easiest according to this list."

"While Riddle Manor has some heavy defensive measures in place, it's also likely to contain the most valuable stuff of the lot. The cave near Hogsmeade is massive and has some truly outrageous protections on it to boot. It would take much more than a week to organise a raid on that one.

Harry thought about it. "I say we tackle Riddle's Manor first."

"How about this. Why don't we raid Riddle Manor first, and, if we are successful, magically pack the whole lot to be taken back here and sorted. That way we can prove to Mum and Dad it wasn't anywhere near as dangerous as they think. Then everyone goes to the orphanage, including Mum and Dad. Doug, Emily, Harry and will keep ourselves Disillusioned while my parents pass out gifts to distract the staff and the children. Once the coast is clear, we'll start the raid. So buy plenty of toys and loads of sweets for the kids. We need to keep them as wound up and hyper as possible to keep the staff out of our hair while we clean out Voldemort's valuables. Finally, if we're not too exhausted, we'll have a go at the Leaky Cauldron stash."

"That sounds doable. If you guys fail to gain access to the Riddle Manor hoard, we can still try to the orphanage, though.

"Okay, make sure you have everything prepared for next week. Especially the trunks."

"Why don't you, Doug and Emily go outside and think it over? Harry and I need to have a word with my parents about something. Don't go too far, we might need your input." Hermione said as she nudged Doug and Emily towards the door. Once the door was closed, Hermione used her alternate wand to cast locking and anti-eavesdropping charms.

"Mum, Dad, what do you think of Doug and Emily?" Hermione asked.

"We think they're both great, based on the two months we've known them. Why do you ask, dear?"

"Do you think they are trustworthy enough for us to tell them about the Room of Requirement?"

"You've had plenty of interaction with them too. What is your gut tell you about them?"

"You know that Harry and I aren't all that good when it comes to the emotional stuff. I prefer to go with empirical facts and Harry's emotional upbringing was pretty stunted by his abysmal home life. Sorry, Harry, but it's true."

"It's alright, Hermione. It is better to remain upfront than to bury it all and ignore it. By the way, how is my adoption going?"

"Everything's on track and you should have some official documents to sign in just a few weeks. Then there will be a hearing in late November that you'll need to attend. There should be a final hearing sometime in the new year. Around Easter, we should know what the final outcome will be. I think we'll need to be moving to a bigger place soon. Preferably a good distance away from this operation, so that when the inspectors come round, they'll have nothing even remotely suspicious to find."

"You should start looking right now. We have all the funds we need from the sale of all the Basilisk parts. Has Remus come to see you yet?"

"He was supposed to see us yesterday, but didn't turn up."

"If Remus doesn't show up today, send word so that I can owl him."

"Getting back to what I was talking about earlier... Mum, Dad, do you trust them enough for us to reveal more of our secrets?"

"I think I can see where you're going with this. It will help put my mind at ease. Yes, I say show them."

"What am I missing?" Dan was visibly confused.

"Dear, Hermione is thinking of telling Doug and Emily about the Room of Requirement. It would be an ideal place for them to prepare and practice in a perfectly safe environment," Emma explained.

"Oh, yes. I see. And yes, you should tell them," Dan agreed.

"Okay, we so we all agree to tell Doug and Emily about the Room of Requirement. What about you, Harry?"

"I completely trust your judgement, Hermione," Harry said as he hugged his friend tightly. Dan went to open the door, but failed as Hermione's locking charm was still in place. When Dan tried again, Hermione removed the locking charm at the same time. The results was Dan falling over on his bum when he yanked open the door. Emma, Hermione and Harry burst out laughing. It was like watching a Charlie Chaplin pratfall.

Emma grinned at Hermione. "Was that strictly necessary, dear?"

"No, but it was absolutely hilarious!"

Dan got up and mock-growled at her, "Very funny, Hermione. You will pay dearly for that, my dear. See you down by the Vanishing Cabinet."

Then left to find Doug and Emily and led them to the garage. Once everyone was gathered round, Hermione got to work putting up a series of heavy-duty privacy charms.

"Doug and Emily, what we are about to show you is one of our biggest secrets. If you don't think you can keep quiet about them, then please say so now."

"We won't say anything. Besides, remember, we actually have to keep our mouth shut about anything we're told. That's part and parcel of our employment contract with you lot."

"I thought what you signed was an ordinary Muggle employment contract?"

"Dan had us sign one Muggle contract and then a magical one as well, using a blood quill."

"That's something you should have told me, Dad."

"Oops. I forgot." Dan said apologetically, but his eyes said he didn't mean it.

"I think we're even now," Hermione said menacingly, silently challenging Dan to disagree to with her.

"Okay, let's just get on with it. We're burning daylight and there's too much to do."

"As I was saying before, you are about to learn some of our biggest secrets. You might have been able to work some of it out yourselves, I expect."

"Just tell us, alright?"

Harry took over, sensing they were growing a touch irritated with Hermione's delivery.

"This is a magical vanishing cabinet. It is connected to another one, which is inside Hogwarts itself. The room where that cabinet is located is connected to the place where we've been storing all the gifts I get from fans as the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "But the real reason why we're showing you this is that traveling through the cabinet will gain you access to the Room of Requirement."

"We're both Hogwarts graduates and neither of us have ever heard of a place called the Room of Rquirement."

"My parents were a bit more adventurous than you guys since they actually discovered the place," Harry said in jest.

"I was in Ravenclaw, Emily huffed. "We considered studying to be much more important than discovering new ways to get in trouble."

"I was a Hufflepuff, guys. We were all about making friends and not getting in trouble," Doug stated with pride.

"Trust me, you guys are going to love this. Hermione, would you mind checking to make sure the coast is clear?"

Harry discreetly slipped Hermione the Marauders' Map to make sure no one was around who shouldn't be.

Hermione was back a few moments later.

"It's fine, let's go."

"Come on and follow me," Harry said before walking straight through the Vanishing Cabinet, Doug and Emily right behind him.

"Why aren't your parents coming too, Hermione?"

"My parents are Muggles, don't forget. The wards around Hogwarts completely disorient them, so they can't come inside."

"This place is amazing," Emily said, gazing around in wonder.

"You can say that again. It's truly massive and you seriously expect us to clean all this out?" Doug stared at the piles and piles of goods as he slowly walked aaround the Room of Lost Things.

"Yes. And we haven't even got to the most interesting part yet. Come on, follow me." Harry lead them out of the Room of Lost Things.

"This is the seventh floor of Hogwarts, isn't it. Where did the door go?" Doug wondered.

"From here you have access to the Room of Hidden Things, which is the room we just came from. And here is the Room of Requirement, which I am about to show you now." Harry began pacing back and forth before the tapestry of the Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet. Suddenly, the door appeared. Hermione opened it immediately and lead everyone inside. It was a perfect recreation of the Great Hall.

"This is the Room of Requirement. It can be anything you imagine it to be," Harry told them with a smile.

Doug raised a curious eyebrow. "So all you have do is picture it in your mind and the room will give you what you want?"

"Yes, exactly," Hermione confirmed.

Doug got a mischievous twinkle in his eye and suddenly a blow-up doll appeared on his arm. Emily slapped Doug silly and scolded him for his cheek.

"You have a vile and disgusting mind, Doug. Do you know that?"

"Yeah. I know and I like it it that way."

"Just know you can't take anything out of this room that you did not bring with you," Harry pointed out. Doug pasted a fake look of crushed disappointed on his face, earning him another scowl from Emily.

"Just imagine what you can do here in the room!" Emily sighed, before wrinkling her nose at Doug. "Well, I don't want to think about what Doug might do in a place like this, that would definitely scar me for life and kill my appetite as well.

"Harry, I'm reserving the right to show Emily how the room works. You can show Doug separately." She eyed the older wizard apprehensively. "I really don't need to have my mind corrupted by what he might imagine."

"That's fine," Harry agreed.

"This room is incredible."

"Why don't you two experiment a bit while we gather a few things, okay?"

"That would be great!" Emily was anxious to explore the room's capabilities.

"It is possible for you to take Emily with you?" Doug asked, his expression hopeful. "I'd like to test the room privately, if you don't mind."

"You guys need to work that out between yourselves, we've gotta go. See you in a bit."

Harry and Hermione quickly left before they had to hear Doug and Emily bicker over who got to use it first. The went straight to their dorms to collect a few blank books before carefully making their way back to the Room of Requirement.

"Harry, would you mind going in first. Make sure Doug isn't doing anything I really don't want to see?"

Harry strolled into the Room of Requirement with his hand over his eyes and yelled, "Hermione and I are back! Doug, you had better not be doing something that we kids shouldn't see!"

The room was now a testing area.

"This room is great! We didn't do anything inappropriate, I swear."

Harry let Hermione know that it was safe and they started making stacks of blank books on a table that conveniently appeared in front of them.

"Now, we're going to show you something else we found not long ago. It's a spell that allows you to make a copy of any book you want, including any notes that have been added."

"Wouldn't copy protection prevent you from doing that?" Emily asked.

"It's a very old spell that was created ages before modern copy protections existed and was used widely by warriors who used it to make copies of any books of they couldn't read. And patience isn't exactly something that warriors were known for, so this spell is relatively quick and easy to use," Herminone told them.

"This spell is a big secret and you won't need to use it, just while you're working for us. Is that agreed? I really don't want people finding out about it and working out a counter-spell."

Both Doug and Emily quickly agreed. Hermione then demonstrated the spell and practiced with them until Doug and Emily were both able to consistently cast the spell themselves. Harry and Hermione then had them practice getting in and out of the room and then they all went back to the Granger home.

Before Harry and Hermione returned to Hogwarts for the night, they had a quiet word with Doug and Emily.

"You guys can prepare for the upcoming raids using the room. We also need you to try to recreate the vanishing cabinets. You can use the Room of Requirement to get everything you'll need. It can provide you with a whole library of books to learn all about them. Also, grab as many of the blank books as you can. We're going to have you both helping us make copies of books from Hogwarts' library. But preparing for the raids is your first priority, okay?"

"See you guys later," Harry added as he and Hermione left to wash up before dinner.

After dinner at Hogwarts, Professor Flitwick approached Harry with a message; Dumbledore wanted to see him in his office at once.

With a disgruntled sigh, Harry made his way up to the Headmaster's office.

"Harry, do come in!" Dumbledore smiled at him in his fake, grandfatherly manner.

"A source has told me that you have obtained access to a stockpile of Basilisk parts. Is that so?"

"Yes. Why does it concern you?"

"Basilisk parts are very dangerous things to have around. I have taken them into my personal custody, as it is not safe for you to have access to such things."

"So, are you saying you mean to illegally seize something that is not yours. You will return them all to me immediately or else my mentor will have the aurors arrest you for thievery."

"You mentor? Who is your mentor, Harry?"

"That is none of your business. However, if you do not return everything you've illegally taken from me, believe me, he will come looking for you himself."

"Is that a threat? Are you threatening me, Harry?"

"No, Professor, it is simply a warning. Imagine how much further damage will come to your reputation if word of this should leak out."

Dumbledore went white at the thought. Skeeter's article had done a significant amount of damage to his previously sterling reputation and he was still working on cleaning up that mess. Another scandal was the last thing he needed.

"I will your belongings returned to you tonight."

"You had better. This is costing my mentor a considerable amount of money to market. If I find that any of the Basilisk parts are missing or have ended up in the possession of Professor Snape, my mentor will take prompt legal action. So I will be making certain that every last bit of it has been returned."

Harry left the headmaster's office absolutely livid with Remus for selling them out to Dumbledore and went to Hermione to tell her what their supposed friend had done. She instructed him to immediately write a letter to Remus demanding an explanation. If they weren't satisfied with it, they decided that they would stop using Remus and replace him with the Outcast organization as their sole marketer.

Harry grabbed a quill and got to work:

Dear Remus Lupin:

I have just returned from Professor Dumbledore's office. Imagine my surprise when he informed me that he had in his possession the Basilisk parts that I arranged for you to sell. Can kindly tell me why you felt the need to inform a third party of our private activites? And have you shared any more privileged information with anyone else that you know you shouldn't have?

If all the Basilisk parts are not retrieved by you tonight and sold immediately, I will contact the authorities regarding the thief. You have until dinnertime tomorrow to bring all monies from the sale directly to the Grangers. Failure to do so will result in your swift arrest and prosecution

Regards,

Harry Potter

PS: My trust in you have taken a major hit. If something like this ever happens again, not only will I have nothing further to do with you, but all of my future marketing will be handled by someone else and you will be out of a job.

Hedwig waited patiently as Harry finished attaching the scroll to her leg and then flew off into the night.

That night, Harry sneaks away to feed the Basilisk hoping the extra action will calm him down. Ge then harvests more venom, fangs and blood to be given to Ashley, the new potion master when she starts.

A/N I want to thank my beta, Amusant, again. She has been wonderful. Just a reminder that there is a poll on my profile page for how to get rid of Draco Malfoy. 


	11. Chapter 10 Troll

Chapter 10 – Troll

The next morning Harry had calmed down a bit from his confrontation with Dumbledore. When Harry's newspaper arrived in the middle of breakfast, he was delighted to see Rita's latest article was the Prophet's headline story.

Did Dumbledore Kill His Squib Little Sister?

By Rita Skeeter

This reporter has learned that Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster, one of our most revered leaders and so-called Champion of the Light, may well have killed his own sister, Arianna Dumbledore, who happened to be a squib. There was a fight between Albus Dumbledore and his close friend, Gellert Grindelwald, which, I am informed, resulted in Arianna's unfortunate demise.

This shocking discovery resulted from information provided to me by another well-known and respected authority on wizarding history, Bathilda Bagshot.

As it turns out, the circumstances of the young squib girl's death were purposefully hidden from public scrutiny. If Headmaster Dumbledore is truly the saintly figure and champion of the underclass that he has long been purported to be, then why did he go to such exhaustive lengths to conceal not only the existence of his sister, but also the manner of her death? And what other shocking secrets might Albus Dumbledore be hiding under his robes?

When I went to the Ministry to search for details regarding the demise of little miss Dumbledore, I discovered that there was no mention of the incident at all. Which begs the question... Was an investigation conducted at all? And, if so, why wasn't Dumbledore charged in connection with his sister's untimely death?

When I contacted the DMLE for a statement regarding this blatant miscarriage of justice, they flatly refused to comment. Undersecretary Umbridge, however, has assured me that she will have the matter investigated throughly.

Harry sat back to enjoy watching Dumbledore splutter and fume. His good mood continued until he received Remus' response to his owl.

Dear Harry,

I am sorry if you feel that I have betrayed your trust. I was only looking out for your best interests. Anyway, I recovered the majority of the Basilisk parts that I gave Dumbledore.

Unfortunately, Professor Snape had already used some parts by the time I arrived. Since you obviously feel very strongly about this issue, I will repay you for the items that Professor Snape has used. It might take me some time to repay you in full, but I swear that I will. The rest of the money will be in the Grangers' possession by Sunday at the latest.

I don't understand why you have such strong negative feelings against Professor Dumbledore. He has done many great things for magical society and for me personally as well. If you had informed me of your distrust of Professor Dumbledore, I might have acted differently. Harry, you should know that your parents always had great respect for Professor Dumbledore, just like most good citizens of the wizarding world.

Regards,

Remus Lupin

After reading the letter, Harry passed it over to Hermione so that she could read it too. Knowing how hurt and upset Harry was after being betrayed by the man he had considered both a mentor and friend, Hermione quietly led him to a nearby empty classroom to give him an opportunity to vent his frustrations.

"Harry, do you want me write Remus back for you?" Hermione asked, just as soon as they were alone.

"Thanks, Hermione. Right now, I'm just too angry with Remus to deal with him myself. We discussed the fact I had access to Basilisk parts during our first meeting. If he had concerns about the potential danger involved, then he should have spoken with me about it instead surrendering them to Dumbledore without even asking me. He is a grown man and he is behaving like a child."

"I understand your perspective, but I can also understand Remus'. You can't really blame someone for taking a particular action if you don't warn them about why they shouldn't do it in the first place. That's called communication, Harry."

"Okay, you're right. I didn't think about that."

"So, do you want to write the letter or do you still need me to do it?"

"I'll do it."

Dear Remus,

I don't blame you for going to Professor Dumbledore, who sounds like someone you truly admire. This situation is my own fault for not warning you that I don't trust him and this latest action just reinforced my negative opinion of the man. For him to seize something so valuable that doesn't belong to him makes me continue to question his personal ethics.

You can repay the money that was lost and I will grant you the extension you requested. But understand this; another repeat performance or any other betrayal of my trust and I will demand and expect immediate payment of all outstanding debts.

Just so you know, the person I obtained the Basilisk from had it appraised at 350,000 galleons street value. So that is how much I expect to receive. In installments, of course.

Regards,

Harry Potter

Harry had Hermione read over the missive and approve it, then they rushed off to find Hedwig and sent her on her way.

The next few days were filled with nothing but classes, preparations for the raids and piles of homework. Professor Dumbledore was often absent from meals, much to Harry's relief. Then Halloween finally arrived and Harry was a complete nervous wreck. As they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry couldn't hold it in any longer.

"It's a lot easier not knowing what's coming than it is knowing what's about to happen and being forced to wait until the time is right."

"I know what you mean. It's really hard to do homework when we have to be careful to avoid showing how advanced we are, too."

"So what's on our agenda for tonight?"

"I'm going to feed Fluffy some contaminated meat at lunch time. It won't hurt him, it's just designed to start an infection in anyone he happens to bite. Then we'll just hang around the library after classes to wait for the troll. Once the troll is in the building, we go to the bathroom and take it out."

The rest of the day went exactly as planned with Hermione feeding Fluffy before getting ready for the evening. Harry was busy copying as many books from the Restricted Section as he could, taking advantage of the library being empty as everyone while everyone was stuffing themselves at the Halloween feast. Hermione was researching and keeping an eye out for the troll on the Marauders' Map.

As soon as she spotted the troll on the map, she jumped up and grabbed Harry.

"It's time, let's go!"

They quickly made their way to the same girl's lavatory where Hermione had encountered the troll the first time around, tracking the troll's movements via the map to make sure they were directly in its path. Hermione was holding Harry back as he was visibly eager to confront the troll and attack it. When they arrived at the lavatory, she had to take a moment to calm him down before they were able to proceed.

They arrived just as the troll made it to the stairwell. They went into their pre-planned positions with Hermione heading inside and Harry leaning against the wall just outside as if he was waiting for her.

When the troll got there, Harry yelled, "Aren't you finished yet, Hermione? We need to get to the feast before everything's gone!"

"I'm almost done, I'll be out in a minute, okay?"

"Hurry up, I think I saw something!"

"Then do something, I'm coming!"

Harry used Aquamenti to hose down the wall outside of the girls lavatory. The confused troll stared down to find its feet surrounded by a huge puddle of water. Then Harry used a freezing spell to turn the puddle into a sheet of ice, causing the troll to lose its balance and fall.

Harry yelled, "Hermione, stay in the toilets and lock the door, there's a troll out here!"

Which was the prearranged signal for Hermione to attack and take out the troll.

Hermione immediately opened the door to find the troll right outside, She screamed, then cast a spell that shoved the troll back towards the stairs. The troll landed hard when it hit the ice and slid up and over the railings before hitting its head on the floor below, knocking it out cold.

Harry then extracted his memory of the encounter with the troll and fished a vial from his pocket, saving it for later review in his pensieve. He had only just finished when the professors arrived in force, with only Professors Quirrell and Professor Snape missing from the group.

"Why were you two out here and not in your dorms?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, innocently.

"We told everyone attending the Halloween Feast to go to straight to their dorms, young man. Now why are you here and not safe in your dormitory?"

"Professor, Harry and I weren't actually at the feast... Harry doesn't like to be reminded of the night his parents were killed. So we decided to hang out in the library instead. We were heading for the kitchens to get something to eat, but I needed to stop at the lavatory. That's when we encountered the troll.

"What happened then?"

"Hermione was finishing up and I was outside waiting for her when the troll showed up. I told Hermione to hurry so we could get away. But you know how it is, girls always take such an awfully long time, so I had to delay the troll until help turned up. I watered down the area in front of the lavatory and turned it into ice. The troll slipped and fell and I was going to try to get it away from Hermione, but she blasted open the door and the troll went flying."

"What spell did you use?"

"I don't know, I just panicked, I wanted the thing away from me. I aimed my wand and it and the troll went zooming across the ice."

Harry wondered aloud, "How did a troll get inside the school anyway? I thought the Hogwarts was supposed to be safe."

"We will be looking into that, I assure you." Dumbledore said, twinkling in his grandfatherly manner.

"Let me get this straight, you don't know what's going on at the school you happen to be in charge of?"

Dumbledore was visibly disappointed whenHarry began questioning his actions. Professor Dumbledore was so used fawning respect and admiration, so Harry's obvious lack of respect was making it very difficult for the headmaster to control his temper, which pleased Harry to no end.

"Shouldn't one of you check on the troll?" Hermione questioned, hoping to defuse the rapidly building tension in the room.

Flitwick and McGonagall both rushed off to handle the troll while Harry and Dumbledore continued to stare at each other down. When McGonagall and Flitwick came back, they were still looking at each other with obvious distaste.

McGonagall eyed them both for a moment, then said, "The troll is unconscious. We've taken the liberty of moving it out of Hogwarts and into the Forbidden Forest."

Seeing Dumbledore and Harry trading a look, she quickly added,"Why don't we have both of you checked out at the infirmary, make sure neither of you were injured? Professor Flitwick, would you please clean this up while Professor Dumbledore looks into how the troll got in here in the first place?" McGonagall lead Harry and Hermione to the infirmary while her diminutive colleague started cleaning up the hall.

The next day, after they were medically cleared by Madam Pomfrey, the pair traipsed off for a hearty breakfast at the Great Hall. Since they were kept for observation in the infirmary all night-despite their protests that they were perfectly fine-a rumor had begun floating around the school that both Harry and Hermione had been badly injured during their encounter with the troll. The fact that they hadn't returned to their dorms as usual the night had given real credibility to the rumour. Hermione suspected that their night in the infirmary was part of a deliberate ploy by Professor Dumbledore to damage their public image and make them both sound crazy. So she warned Harry to not mention the troll incident last night at all and just say they were kept in the infirmary for observation. Her suspicions were proven correct when Professor Dumbledore took a moment to make a brief announcement that the troll had been dealt with and would no longer be a problem, purposefully giving everyone the impression that he and the other professors had been the ones to deal with the troll, not two first year students. The lack of points being awarded to Harry and Hermione for their services to the school was the clincher.

After classes had finished for the day, Harry and Hermione headed to the Granger home to see what had happened while they had been so busy. They found Dan and Emma in the living room where they were having tea with someone unfamiliar. Hermione hugged her parents while Harry politely greeted Dan and Emma.

"Harry and Hermione, we would like to introduce you to Alice Branstead. She is our new administrative assistant and your new librarian," Dan told them.

"She was one of the candidates we interviewed on Monday, she just started on Wednesday, " Emma added.

"Nice to meet you both. The Doctors Grangers have been telling me all about you and I look forward to working with you."

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Branstead." They both said a little overwhelmed by the enthusiast nature of their new employee.

"Please call me Alice. Sorry, I am just so terribly excited. The library you have is truly massive. When I applied for this position, I thought that the job would be mainly dealing with administration at the dental surgery and looking after a small private library. Instead, I found out you lot have multiple operations both in the magical world and the muggle world with plans to expand. And not a small family library, but a large tent filled with two rooms completely full with another one well on its way to being filled. Goodness!" she exclaimed.

"Do you mind telling me a little about yourself, Alice?" Harry asked.

"Oh, of course not, Mr. Potter. I worked in both the magical and muggle worlds as an administrative assistant for many years and have some additional experience as a librarian. My biggest hobby is reading and I support equality as my mother was a werewolf and my father was a Muggleborn wizard. Due to my mother's condition, I wasn't allowed to go to magical school and we could not afford private tutors, so I was educated in the muggle world."

"Alice, please call me Harry."

"And you can call me Hermione."

"Do you have any questions, Harry, Hermione?"

"Do you have a wand?" Hermione asked.

"Yes I do. My father tutored me at home for two OWLs so I could legally own my own wand."

"Which do you prefer, the magical world or the muggle one?" Hermione asked, curious.

"I think that both have their good points and bad points. They are just very different."

"That's a great answer and we totally agree. Welcome to our team."

"Are you staying here or do you have your own place?" Harry asked.

"I was planning on keeping my own place but now that I have seen the number of book I'll be in charge of, I am now inclined to stay here. As I love reading, you'll probably have to drag me away each evening to send me home and I don't think I should bring any books home, I've noticed that some of the volumes are exceedingly rare," Alice explained.

Harry thought for a moment. "Dan, Emma, can arrangements be made if she does decide to stay here?"

"If she wants to stay, then Alice could share a tent with Emily. That is, until we are able to find a bigger place for us all. We're actually looking right now. We spoke to a real estate agent and they're trying to find a place big enough to fit our growing needs. The fact that we're able to pay in cash ought to speed up the process tremendously."

"How about Ashley, our budding Potions mistress? What's happening with her?"

"We have signed an agreement with her and she'll be starting next week. She'll be busy most of next week, buying the equipment and supplies to set-up the potion lab. Hermione, can you come sometime late next week to show her some of the potions you've been making?" Emma asked.

"Where will she be staying?" Harry wanted to know.

"Doug found a special tent that will be used for her potions lab. Since we have so many tents, Doug just finished building a pagoda in the back yard that now houses all of our tents, with an anti-Muggle notice-me-not ward to keep curious people away. The goblins took care of getting approval to build a special pagoda, so we're all set there.

"See you later, Mum, Mad. By the way, where are Doug and Emily?"

"In their tents, getting some rest."

"Nice meeting you, Alice, we need to get back to school, but we'll see you around," Harry smiled at their new employee as they left.

Harry and Hermione visited the tents and rounded up Emily and Doug so that they could discuss the raids to be conducted the following day.

"Ready for tomorrow, Doug?" Harry asked.

"Not really, but then I don't think I'll ever be ready," Doug replied.

"You did get everything you need, right?"

"Yes. Even quite a few things I don't think I'll really need, but that I got just in case," Doug flexed his shoulders, trying to work out the tension that had settled there.

"Good."

"Emily, how about you? Are you ready for tomorrow?" Harry asked Emily.

"Yes, but Doug is taking the lead on our little adventure, so my preparation and assistance was rather limited, as I don't have any curse-breaking experience. Instead, I've been spending much of my time working creating duplicates of the vanishing cabinets. I think we're going to need to hire a cabinetmaker who is experienced with both Muggle and magical techniques."

"Doug, can you help Emily find someone fitting that description, maybe next week sometime?"

"It might be a bit difficult to locate such a person. They might not exist here in the UK, we might need to make it a global search, which is liable to take a while."

"That's okay, just find someone who can help Emily. By the way, did you manage to find a pensieve in all that stuff you were sorting through?"

Doug pulled out his list and scanned it quickly.

"We did find three small pensieves. Why, do you want to keep them?"

"Yes and any other ones you find. I going to give you a memory that I need you to pass along to Rita Skeeter for me."

"What the hell are you dealing with that bitch for? If you'll pardon my french, ladies," Doug exclaimed in outrage.

"Sometimes we're going to have to dance with the devil to make a necessary deal, Doug. Rita Skeeter's a very well-known reporter who has made her reputation on taking people apart. Having her working for us neutralises her as a potential threat and makes her an asset instead. That's why I'm going to set up a meeting between you and Rita for Sunday afternoon. You'll give her the memory of an incident at school and that she'll be using to further discredit Dumbledore. Can you also give her 300 galleons for me, that's her monthly pay," Harry explained.

"What was the incident at school that you want Rita to see?" Emily asked, visibly concerned.

"Somehow a troll got into the school, it went after Hermione and almost killed us. We want to know why and how a troll could get into a school like Hogwarts. The professors have not revealed the results of any investigation, assuming there even was an investigation. This affects the safety of all Hogwarts students, and we have a right to know what's going on."

"I can understand why you're doing it, but I really don't like Skeeter at all. Anything else, Harry?"

"If she doesn't have a pensieve or access to one, then let her borrow one of the ones you found. Also, ask her if she has any information that might encourage the apothecary in Diagon Alley to become available for sale. Tell her we'll make it worth her while," Harry said, after some thought.

"What if she has information like that about the apothecary? What do you want me to do?"

"If she does, give her 50 galleons as a deposit. Tell her that if the information results in us being able to purchase the apothecary for ourselves, we will then negotiate a suitable reward for her services to us in this matter."

"Basically tell her, here is 50 galleons if the information turns out to be valuable then additional compensation will be forthcoming."

"Exactly. Speaking of forthcoming, have you guys heard anything about our acromantula hunter candidates? I forgot to ask Dan and Emma about them."

"We have six people starting next week, including a team leader. They'll only be working one night a week and they get paid on commission."

"Hm. Maybe you should locate us another of those oversized magical trunks and ask the shopkeeper there about any cabinetmakers he happens to know. Maybe even subcontract his personal cabinetmaker to us, with the usual provisions about confidentiality and potential patent-worthy discoveries," Hermione added.

Doug smacked himself in the head. "I should have thought of that one myself."

"Well we got to be going see you tomorrow bright and early." Hermione says in farewell.

"See you guys tomorrow." Harry adds.

Harry then quickly writes a letter to Rita organising the meeting with Doug.

A/N Responses to reviews

ceo55 – What happened was that Remus goes to Dumbledore before he sells the Basilisk parts and Dumbledore confiscates the items claiming it is for the protection of Harry. Then gives it to Snape who immediately begins experimenting with it. The reason why it is sold only in Britain is that they don't want to pay the huge bribes or customs duties that would allow something that valuable to leave the country. That is why Harry got them working on recreating the vanishing cabinets. Another reason is that the parts are old and not very useful.

ROBERT-19588 - The reason Remus betrays Harry to Dumbledore is that Remus feels like he owes his loyalty to Dumbledore for sticking his neck out by keeping him in school.

Schnuff – Hermione's parents can not pull her out of Hogwarts as Dumbledore is her legal magical guardian once they had agreed to let Hermione go to Hogwarts. Dumbledore would not let any muggleborn leave as it would look bad on him.

LadySonics – I am an Aussie bloke. We spell Organisation with an "s" down under.


	12. Chapter 11 Raids

Chapter 11 - Raids

Doug, Emily, Harry and Hermione arrived at Riddle Manor very early on Saturday morning. They made a careful search of the property for Frank Bryce, who they had learned, was the current caretaker of the Riddle property. It didn't take long, as Harry used Voldemort's memories of the Manor to learn Bryce's daily schedule. Bryce was quickly Stunned, then Hermione dosed him with a variation of Dreamless Sleep that would result in him awakening later, none the wiser and believing that he had simply fallen asleep on the job.

It took a while to access the Disillusioned closet that contained the bulk of the Riddle Manor stash. Once they located it, Doug got down to the business of confirming Harry's list of the wards and protections they would have to conquer in order to gain access to Voldemort's cache of ill-gotten valuables.

"There are twelve layers of wards protecting this closet. Two of them are blood wards, plus five of the wards appear to be foreign in origin. Exactly as described in your list, Harry."

"Can you teach Harry that detection spell? At least some of the protections are likely to involve Parselmouth magic, so we'll need Harry to translate for the rest of us," Hermione explained.

Doug quickly taught Harry the spell and made him practice it several times until he had it down pat. When Doug and Harry looked like they were ready for a break, Hermione approached them with another thought.

"Why don't you list out the wards we've already gone through, so we can double-check to make sure nothing was missed?""

"Okay." Harry stretched and turned to Doug. "Do you want to go first or should I?"

"I think you should go first, Harry," Doug replied. "If you make a mistake, it can be blamed on your inexperience. If I make a mistake, I look like a blundering idiot with his head up his bum."

Harry grinned. "Okay, the first ward is a simple Muggle-repelling ward."

"Agreed."

"Can we leave that one in place? As wizards, that one won't affect us at all, right?"

"Sorry, but we have to take down that ward in order to gain access to the other layers of wards underneath it. No shortcuts allowed, I'm afraid."

"Alright, I see your point. So how do we go about removing it?"

"The simplest way would be to have a Muggle to repeatedly walk into the ward until the ward collapsed from overuse. But, in this case, that isn't an option. That action would trip the other wards and we would all die very messily. Instead, we will have to bombard it with magical energy, forcing the ward to inflate like a balloon. That's where our friend the Muggle caretaker comes in. Once the ward has contact with him, Mr. Bryce will be like the pin that causes our ward balloon to literally pop.

"Okay, why don't Emily and I take care of this simple ward while you guys make a list of the other wards, along with some suggestions on how to dismantle them?"

Emily demonstrated to Hermione how to expand the ward and the two witches had eradicated it within mere minutes.

"Next one, people?"

"Next up is a notice-me-not ward."

"A simple Finite should take care of that one."

"Third ward is the first blood ward. That one will kill anything or anyone that attempts to pass through it."

"To get rid of that one, you need to use blood to draw the rune symbol of life on a stone, then slide it into the ward line."

"Fourth one is a decay ward. If you're not very careful, it will cause your entire body to rapidly decay and you'll die a most painful death."

"You need to find the stones that make up the ward's boundary and destroy them."

"Fifth one is a fire ward. It will cause your body to burst into flames and you'll instantly burn to death."

"You need to inscribe an ice rune on that one to cancel it out."

"Sixth ward wakes up a horde of Inferi."

"Damn, I missed that one. That makes it a total of twelve instead of eleven wards."

"So how do we get past that one?"

"You need to find the rune markings that make up the ward's boundary and scratch them out."

"Seventh ward causes paralysis to anyone attempting to access the closet. That one's done in Parselmouth, too."

"A simple Finite spoken in Parselmouth should do the trick. "

"Eighth is a Crucio ward, also in Parselmouth."

"We have to expand the ward until it bursts. That one could be quite tricky. See, you'll need to actually be hit by the Crucio, yet maintain your concentration despite the pain in order to keep expanding the ward. Otherwise, the pain will drive you irreversibly insane. Game over."

"The ninth ward causes all spells to rebound on the attacker and is also done in Parselmouth."

"We will have to use a shield spell to surround the area around the ward, thereby limiting the amount of magic it can absorb. Then you keep casting spells directly at the ward until it overloads and collapses from the strain."

"The tenth is particularly nasty and is also done in Parselmouth. For all intents and purposes, it's an Avada Kedavra blood ward."

"This makes that ward especially tough to defeat. Theoretically, we'll need to use blood to write the counter-spell in Parselmouth. Problem is, of course, that there is no counter for Avada Kedavra. So we'll have to think creatively to get past that one. Next?"

"Eleventh ward is also in Parselmouth and summons the Inferi."

"Voldemort was obviously hoping that some of the attackers would have died, forcing the survivors to battle their dead friends," Emily said, with a shudder of pure disgust.

"We do the same as with the sixth ward. But since you're much closer to the end, the markings will be really hard to find."

"Twelfth ward is an insanity curse."

"Identical process to the Crucio ward."

"That's all I've got," Harry added, unnecessarily.

"Well, there was one additional ward, on the door frame itself. It's a slow-acting killing curse that mimics the effects of a poison. You would need a seriously talented curse-breaker to get rid of the curse itself, there is no potion out there that will touch it. To get rid of this ward, we'll need to destroy the door frame, taking care not to touch it."

"About how long do you think this will take?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"All of today, at the very least." Doug replies.

"What if I told you we have a way of doing it much faster and easier than what you've just described?"

"I say I'll not risk our lives on maybes, Hermione." Doug declared.

"There won't be any risk to us. Just a few other things, I promise."

Doug's eyes narrowed at the little witch. "Exactly what are you planning, young lady?"

"We conjure a load of harmless snakes to overwhelm most of the wards. The wards that we can't overwhelm with snakes, we'll just use chickens instead."

"That might actually work." Doug said, excitedly.

"Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" Emily wondered.

"I don't know, maybe because everyone always tries to use Imperio to get the animals to do what they want, but wards generally don't react favorably to Unforgiveables of any kind. People who have tried it in the past have been driven to insanity and the animals simply explode, poor devils. That is why they use magical techniques."

Harry watched Douglas intently for a moment. "So, what do you think? Are we going to try it?"

"Yes, why not? The risk to our persons are minimal. Wait here, you lot, while Emily and I go fetch us some chickens."

As soon as Doug and Emily returned, they all got busy using the conjured snakes and chickens to take down all the wards protecting the closet. Once the wards were down, they had made a huge mess and created enough roasted chicken to feed an army. It had taken them only a few hours to accomplish and their treasure-hunting team was none the worse for wear.

When they were finally able to open the closet, they stepped into a huge, magically-expanded room loaded with money and priceless valuables beyond their wildest dreams. It was like walking into a bank vault at Gringott's There were huge piles of gold, stacks of Muggle money, piles of intricately-carved wands and holsters, loads of untraceable Portkeys, gold and silver valuables (probably stolen from the homes of Muggle Death Eater victims), Dark objects, shelves and shelves of rare potions and potions ingredients, rare books and grimoires, and many other items that boggled the mind.

"Merlin's flaming beard! This is one hell of an amazing hoard. So what is my cut of all this," Doug asked, eyes alight with the thrill of discovery.

"We were thinking of ten percent for you, Doug, as you were expected to carry out the lion's share of this job, while Emily should get five percent for her help with the research and preparation for the raid. The Outcast organisation will get fifteen percent to help fund the new school. There will be strings attached for such a grant, by the way. Harry and I worked this all out with my parents while we were still in the planning stages of this raid."

"I think I deserve more, at least fifteen percent, I think my input in the operation is worth well more than a measley ten," Doug countered."I'll have you know I about drove myself nuts with worry about what could've easily happened here," he added.

"You can always get zero. Let me remind you that it was Harry who took on Voldemort himself in order to find the locations of these stockpiles and what was used to protect them in the first place. And it was me who did the bulk of the research, in addition to coming up with ways to get us past all those wards, without which we would either be dead or still spinning our wheels," Hermione pointed out.

"It was me who discovered and identified that curse on the door frame that Harry knew nothing about. I should definitely get a bonus for that one."

"If you want more, Doug, you can always do the next raid all by yourself," Hermione informed him, smiling sweetly.

"Okay, fine. Ten percent it is." Doug said, defeated. He didn't dare push too hard for fear of losing a job he truly enjoyed, with mates he enjoyed working with, for once.

"Now that that's all settled, can we please get back to work? Doug, your job is to indentify and separate any Dark objects for special handling. Emily, do you mind going to my parents house to tell them that we were successful and that we're all alright? Harry and I will handle the job of cleaning up the huge mess we made getting past all those wards," Hermione declared, leaving no room for further debate.

Thankfully, using magic made the cleanup process go much more quickly and easily. When Emily returned from her errand, she helped Harry and Hermione by delivering the boxes of freshly-cooked chicken to a grateful nearby homeless shelter. When she returned from her delivery, Emily accompanied Harry and Hermione to check on Doug's progress.

"How are things going with the Dark object detail?"

"Okay, but it's fairly slow going. I've already cleared some of the cursed items, but this place is huge. I'll be busy for quite a while yet."

"While you're busy dealing with that, the rest of us are going to start packing up the money and checked valuables into the trunks so that we can start moving it out as soon as possible."

"Sounds good to me. You should start in that corner and work towards me, I've already sorted that section. When I finish up with the cursed items, I'll come over and help you guys with the packing."

"I've been thinking about something... Since Remus should be coming to my place sometime this afternoon, I believe that we should postpone the orphanage raid until later tonight. Both because Harry and would like to avoid seeing Remus and so that there will be someone home to collect the money he owes us. I'm thinking that you and Harry should make an attempt on the Leaky Cauldron stash after you're finished with this batch of cursed objects. Emily and I will finish packing up the rest of this, then we'll join you at the Leaky Cauldron. That is, unless you feel the need for someone to hold your hand while you're doing the curse-breaking?" Hermione asked, innocently.

Doug made a face, but agreed. "Fine."

He walked off, continuously muttering under his breath while he worked on clearing out the cursed items. After an hour of work he was finally done and called Harry over.

"Time for us to go," Doug announced. "We will see you at the Leaky Cauldron a bit later, yeah?"

Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak and Doug swiftly packed up his curse-breaking gear. They Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, where Doug paid for the room they wanted and ordered a hearty meal for two to be sent to the room. As soon as Doug closed the door, Harry tossed off his invisibility cloak. Harry was just about to start examining the wards when Doug suddenly stopped him.

"Whoa, Harry, we need to rest and recharge our batteries before we tackle the wards for this job," Doug told him. Then he proceeded to stretch out to take a catnap on the bed..

Harry shook his head, then got busy clearing the area around the stash and made himself comfortable in one of the armchairs by the door. A bit later, Doug and Harry were just finishing their meal when Hermione and Emily arrived.

"We just finished up the prep on this job," Doug told the pair of witches before winking mischievously at Harry.

"Why don't you get started while we get a little something to eat, we're both famished," Hermione commented, a roll of her eyes clearly indicating that she didn't believe Doug for one second.

The Leaky Cauldron stash had only five wards protecting it and they were down for the count by the time Emily and Hermione had finished eating. This stash turned out to contain only 10,000 galleons and 10,000 British pounds sterling, a few fake identities and a spare wand. The spare wand they found suited Harry much better than the wand he had been using as his alternate, so he decided to keep it for himself. Emily periodically popped in to check with the Grangers to find out whether Remus had come and gone yet, borrowing Harry's invisibility cloak to make sure she remained unseen.

To keep themselves busy while waiting for Remus's visit to end, Emily read while Hermione, Harry and Doug planned their meeting with Rita Skeeter for the next day. It was decided that Hermione would either disguise herself or hide under Harry's invisibility cloak with Doug to the meeting. The meeting was going to be at the Leaky Cauldron and they decided to rent the same room for an additional day for that purpose.

It was almost dinnertime when Remus finally left the Granger home. They immediately Apparated back home, much to the relief of an anxious Doug and Emma. This time, they all left together for the orphanage, first making a brief stop at a nearby restaurant to pick up the special dinner package the Grangers had pre-ordered to serve the children and staff. Dan had also hired a large van to transport them all along with the food and toys.

After everything was packed up and they were on their way to the orphanage, Harry couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

"How did the meeting with Remus go?"

"It went fine. We talked for a while and he gave us most of the money he owed," Emma replied.

"What did you guys talk about?"

"You mostly. He wanted to know how we met you."

"What did you tell him?"

"We said Hermione had met you in Muggle school, that you had been friends for a long time, that one day she brought you home with her and that's how we met."

"Do you think Remus believed you?"

"I'm pretty sure he did. After all, it was the truth, just not all of it. Anyway, he wanted to give his side of his story to you."

"What was his justification for trying to steal from me?"

"He says he really didn't mean for that to happen. Remus told us that he has always admired and trusted the headmaster ever since he was willing to stick his neck out so that Remus could go to Hogwarts. He said that Dumbledore has proven his worth to him many times over by helping him out when he was down on his luck, even when no one else would. That is why when Dumbledore told him not to contact you, Harry, he agreed to do so. It was also why Remus approached Dumbledore with his concerns about the people you were associating with to handle the preparing and sale of the Basilisk parts. Dumbledore said he was willing to personally handle it himself, claiming that if you were associating with unsavoury people, then it was his duty to deny them the funds to continue their work. When Remus tried to retrieve the Basilisk parts after your letter, Dumbledore claimed that he gave the Basilisk parts to Professor Snape in order to determine their origin. Professor Snape used some of the parts in his potions without his authorisation. He is hoping to rebuild your trust by repaying the amount that was lost. Professor Snape can not afford to pay and Dumbledore flatly refused, saying that Professor Snape used the parts, so it's his responsibility."

" So how much did he pay and how much does he owe?" Harry asked.

"He gave us 300,000 galleons and he owes about 40,000 more," Emma replied.

"How in the world did Snape manage to use 50,000 galleons worth of Basilisk parts?" Harry exclaimed.

"I don't have a clue, but I still say you should be careful around Remus. I think you should leave any further interaction with him to either Sirius or us. He is just too much of a follower and trusts Dumbledore entirely too much to see his shortcomings. He doesn't even want to try, I think."

"I was not planning to," Harry admitted. "I'm too afraid I would lose my temper with him."

"Oh! Here's something that might lighten your mood a bit, Harry. I heard that Snape is in the infirmary... Turns out the git was bitten and severely infected by the Cerebus, just like we planned. This means no Potions class with him next week. Not to mention that the potions he started with the Basilisk parts will surely spoil and be completely worthless," Hermione added with a smirk.

"That does make me feel loads better. Next time I see him, I will make sure he will forgets everything he learned from the Basilisk parts and destroys any potions he might have made with them," Harry said cheerfully.

"I'll do you one better, Harry. I was thinking of slipping Snape a potion that causes dementia. It'll be a slow-acting potion with no cure, I found in one of the rare potion books he got for us. This way his talents won't be available to be used by the enemy and it'll surely be blamed on the infection from the Cerebus bite."

"That is just beautiful," Harry said happily.

"Just imagine, next year, when Ashley starts publishing the discoveries he made. The dementia will make it next to impossible for him to publish his discoveries before Ashley does. He won't be able to remember enough of the details to support and justify his work."

"Snape will be tearing out his hair with frustration. That would be so good to see."

When they arrived at the orphanage, Hermione, Harry, Emily and Doug snuck off to tackle the raid while Emma and Dan started unpacking the food and toys from the truck. The couple felt like Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus as they went into the orphanage with all the goodies they had brought. They were met inside by orphanage staff, who were delighted to help them move all the food and packages inside.

As soon as they opened one bag of toys they were overwhelmed with excited orphans. The children quickly appeared from everywhere as soon as they laid eyes on the toys. Then everyone sat down to a delicious dinner, including Dan and Emma. Halfway through the meal, Harry, Hermione, Emily and Doug knocked on the door of the orphanage, having successfully looted the stash that Voldemort had hidden there. Unfortunately, this had turned out to be another limited stash, just like the one at the Leaky Cauldron, with exactly the same assortment of items.

When Dan and Emma saw Hermione enter, they sighed in relief and began actually enjoying their meal and the company. At the end of the meal, the head of the orphanage stood up.

"I will like to thank the Granger family for their generosity in providing this wonderful meal and all the toys. Please give them a round of applause to express your appreciation."

When everyone started clapping, Dan and Doug both stood up and bowed to the crowd.

"I believe you said you also wished to also give the orphanage a donation to help with the upkeep of our organisation?"

"Yes, Harry, do you mind bringing me the briefcase from the van?"

Harry got the keys for the van from Dan and retrieved the leather briefcase he had brought along. Harry handed the brief case to Dan, who passed it to the orphanage administrator with a small bow.

The administrator nearly fainted when she opened the case to find tens of thousands of pounds, British sterling. Harry passed Dan another large envelope with the 10,000 British Pounds Sterling they had just liberated from the Voldemort stash. Doug had to be convinced to give up this amount. After the head of the orphanage recovered, the Grangers were thanked again and they all left very happy with all they had accomplished.


	13. Chapter 12 Wormtail and Rita

Chapter 12 - Wormtail and Rita

Harry, Hermione, Doug, and Emma met with the Grangers early Sunday morning.

"What is my cut from yesterday?" Doug asked eagerly.

"Don't be so impatient, Doug." Emma chided him.

"I want my cut so I can finally buy my own place. I love you guys, but a man's got to have his own place away from work, you know?" Doug said, rubbing his hands together.

"You're going to get your own place? When did you decide this, you never mentioned it before Ashley moved into your tent."

"I decided yesterday, when I took a nap while Harry and I were waiting for you and Emily."

"When did you do that, Doug?" Hermione spotted Doug's lapse immediately.

"Before you and Emily arrived at the Leaky Cauldron." Doug admitted guiltily.

"Maybe we should re-examine the plan on who gets how much of a share," Hermione threatened.

"I will work hard from now on to make up for it, I swear," Doug said quickly, as he really didn't want to get a reduction in his share of the booty.

"Okay now, moving on, how much did we get yesterday?" Hermione said, much to Doug's visible relief.

"Alice was here going over some books when Emily and Hermione turned up with the loot. After reading a few titles of the books you brought back, Alice was really thrilled with your finds. We allowed her to read the books once she totaled up all of the gold and Muggle pounds we received. She readily agreed, I think we will work well together. In fact, she already reminds me of Hermione so much in her love of books. Anyway, the first hoard contained 50 thousand galleons and 50 thousand pounds, the second hoard had 10 thousand galleons and 10 thousand pounds and the final hoard had 10 thousand galleons with another 10 thousand pounds that we gave immediately to the orphanage. We spent 10 thousand dollars or 2,000 galleons on curse-breaking materials, books, meals, lodgings, food, toys and chickens. By the way, what were the chickens for, as it was quite an expense?"

"You don't want to know, mum. Trust me, you really don't want to know." Hermione shuddered.

"As I was saying, that leaves us with a grand total of 70 thousand galleons and 70 thousand thousand pounds. If you subtract our expenses, including the 60 thousand pound donation to the orphanage, we received a grand total of 70 thousand galleons. That means, Doug, that your share is seven thousand galleons while Emily's cut is three thousand and five hundred," Emma said.

"Not enough for a good place, but enough to rent a okay place," Doug said, clearly disappointed.

"If you want, we can lend the rest to you interest-free, as long as you don't mind buying something close by and allow us to use your Floo for transport. Same offer goes for you, Emily. We do have the galleons right now."

Doug jumped at the offer. "Definitely, yes. You can even use my place as a mail centre. I need my own space. I think it is the werewolf in me."

"Will you have any difficulties due to your condition?" Dan asked.

"I will have to pay a few bribes. You guys can fork it over, as you'll be using it too," Doug added, cheekily.

"We're fine with that. How long do you think it will take?" Dan said.

"It should be very quick with the goblins handling all the details. If you're willing to pay enough, the Floo can be connected the same day."

"What about you, Emily?" Emma asked.

"I prefer staying here, close to all those books," Emily admitted.

"Is Alice moving in or is she staying at her own place?" Harry inquired.

"She's staying with me. We both love reading and we enjoy discussing our mutual interests. If you want, you can use the rest of the tent as a temporary library?" Emily suggested.

"Are you sure, the library is growing at a truly alarming rate, you might be buried alive in books at this rate," Dan added in jest. Both Hermione and Emma punched him.

"I don't think it's really all that bad. We prefer having the library close, so that if we want to look something up, we don't have to go to the sorting tent to track it down and go all the way back to my tent. It also allow Alice better access to keep everything organised, which makes it much easier for all of us to find what we need."

"That reminds me. Can you copy all of the Potions books we've collected so far? I want Ashley to have access to all the Potions texts without being forced to hunt through everything else we've got," Hermione added.

"Okay. Do want me to take care of it immediately or do you want to continue with the vanishing cabinet replicas?"

"Keep working on the vanishing cabinets, but if you need to take a break from that, make copies of the Potions texts. Sorting items for Remus to sell isn't our top priority anymore, as we're getting plenty of outside income and none of us care much for working with Remus anyway."

"Remus has also been ostracised by the Outcast community because of what he tried to do," Doug commented. "Loyalty is a huge thing for them and Remus's behavior really doesn't sit well with them at all."

"What did Remus do?" Emily asked.

"Didn't you hear about it yesterday in the car?" Emma asked, surprised.

"I wasn't really paying attention, I was reading." Emily admitted, sheepishly.

"It doesn't really matter now. Moving on. Mum and Dad, what are you doing this morning?"

"We're going out to look at prospective houses with the real estate agent, dear," Emma replied. "Why do you ask?"

"If you weren't too busy, I thought you might want to accompany us to see the Outcast leader about purchasing the apothecary, funding the new Outcast school and possibly buying a US newspaper to start changing a few people's opinions about what Outcast has to offer," Hermione said, matter-of-factly.

"I think you should let us take care of that. We're the adults here, after all. Dan and I can set up a lunch meeting with their leader during the week and sort out what needs to be done."

"But you don't know what we want to do. I should at least be there to handle any problems that might come up," Hermione complained.

"No. Don't you trust us dear? Why don't you tell us what you want and we can decide whether it's viable or not?" Emma countered.

"First, we want to buy the apothecary in Diagon Alley so Ashley can take control of the potions ingredients market," Hermione started.

"We should wait, I think. With all the potion ingredients you collected from the first stash, you can get the store at a considerably cheaper price, especially once demand for those ingredients starts falling. See, it that's one thing handled already. We really need to think things through and decide what's best before rushing in without a plan."

"I'll grant you that, I didn't think that far ahead. Next one, we should give the money we allocated to the Outcast organisation, but with specific conditions attached to it. For example, the monies can only be used for the Outcast schools."

"We need to work out what the exact conditions will be before we do anything, as I doubt they'll be inclined to accept a completely open-ended agreement."

"I think the professors at the school should be offered additional funding, resources and access to rare books in return for keeping our agreement secret, plus a proportion of any money they make from their discoveries, first dibs on turning any discoveries into viable commercial ideas and they should also agree to provide any assistance that we may require on the odd occasion," Harry suggested.

"I think their professors would go for that." Doug said, nodding briskly.

"Where are we going to get the extra funding for the professors? We might have plenty of funds now, but we're going through them at a rather alarming rate. We need to purchase a new house for ourselves, we have to buy a house for Doug, we still need to purchase the apothecary and there's the cost of the potion business itself, plus wages for our employees, supplies for the vanishing cabinet project, taxes, the piles of blank books you've been buying and plenty of other costs. And that's just off the top of my head," Dan pointed out.

"The potion business should be an easy success, Dan. We have the potion ingredients on hand and, thanks to Snape, we know who the the biggest customers are. And one of our main competitors, Snape, is out of commission for the moment and will be out of the picture completely before long," Harry argued.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Harry. Our potions-maker doesn't have the wide reputation that Snape or the other established European potions suppliers all have. That will be a big disadvantage for us, especially when the business first gets off the ground. Ashley will need to work hard to build up a clientele and start to getting her work published in order to build herself up as a reputable potions supplier."

"I guess we should forget about buying out a magical newspaper in the US, at least for now," Harry said, disappointed.

"True, but we can buy shares in one of the magical newspapers, so we'll have a say in what gets printed," Dan said in conciliation.

"We still need to convert some of the galleons into British pounds, so the Grangers can buy the property they want in cash. Doug, do you think the Outcast organisation can convert it without going through the goblins? I am positive the British Ministry of Magic is getting a cut of any magical-Muggle monetary conversions, even though I can't prove it. Not yet, anyway. I want to avoid that, if at all possible," Harry insisted.

"I'm pretty sure that can be done, but I'll check and make sure," Doug replied.

"We should convert the majority of the expected price of the house right now and use the goblins to convert the difference. That's assuming, of course, that it's even possible for the Outcast organisation to do so. Remember to increase taxes and duties in the calculations," Harry reminded them.

"We had better head off to see our real estate agent, since you are not going to see the Outcast people today. What will you be doing while were out?" Emma asked.

"I don't know?" Hermione said.

"How about we interrogate a certain rat we both know?" Harry suggested.

"I just finished a batch of Veritaserum. We can use that on dear Scabbers," Hermione added.

"I am just going to add a little memory before we begin the interrogation." Harry said.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Trust me, you'll like it. Just wait." Harry teased.

"Who are we talking about and is it even possible to adjust a memory well enough to actually fool Veritaserum?" Emily asked.

"The rat you have been caring for is known as Scabbers, also Wormtail. But you might know him more notoriously as the former Marauder, Peter Pettigrew."

"What? But he's dead, Harry!"

"No, he was the person who betrayed my family to the Dark Lord and framed Sirius Black for murder. Dumbledore knew all along and did nothing. I'll be using a technique that Tom Riddle developed, it will make Pettigrew believe something is true, even though it's not," Harry said.

"Where are we going to interrogate Wormtail?" Hermione asked.

"I was thinking the cage Doug uses for his werewolf transformations. That is, if Doug doesn't mind?" Harry suggested.

"Go ahead," Doug said, with obvious interest.

Emma and Dan headed for an afternoon of house-hunting, Emily got to work on the vanishing cabinet project, Doug started his search for his new home and Harry and Hermione made preparations for their interrogation of Wormtail.

Harry spelled Wormtail back his human form and adjusted his memory just before Hermione force-fed him a dose of Veritaserum. They then trapped Wormtail in a magically electrified cage that would render him unconscious but alive, should he attempt to escape. Wormtail twice attempted to do just that before the interrogation began; the second time he was too exhausted and injured to risk having a third go at his makeshift prison.

Seeing that Wormtail had finally accepted his fate, Harry began the interrogation, with Hermione there to observe.

"What is your full name?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"What is your date of birth?"

"15 May 1960"

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes"

"When did you join the Death Eaters?"

"1979."

"Why did you join?"

"The light side could not win and I always wanted to be on the winning side."

"Why did you go into hiding?"

"If I was found alive, my fellow Dead Eaters would kill me or I would be sent to prison."

"Why would you be sent to prison?"

"Since I was one who really betrayed the Potters and murdered those Muggles."

"Are you saying you were the secret-keeper for the Potter family, not Sirius Black?"

"Yes."

"Was Sirius Black ever the Potter secret-keeper?"

"No, the Potters changed their minds and chose me at the last minute, at Sirius' suggestion."

"Who knew about the change?"

"Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Dark Lord and Lucius Malfoy."

"How did Albus Dumbledore know you were a Death Eater?"

"He saw the Death Eater tattoo on my arm and never said a thing."

"What about Lucius Malfoy?"

"He recruited me to be a Death Eater and he was there when I told the Dark Lord where the Potter family had hidden."

"What happened on Halloween 1981?"

"I took the Dark Lord to the Potter home. The Dark Lord went in and I stayed near the door keeping watch for intruders. James Potter and the Dark Lord fought a vicious battle, but then James went down. I heard Lily Potter cry out, "Not my son!" before being killed herself. Then I saw the green flash of a killing curse followed by and explosion and Harry Potter crying. I found no trace of the Dark Lord, only his wand. I left the scene right after."

"What happened on the day of your supposed death and Sirius' arrest?"

"Sirius had me cornered. He sent a slicing curse at me and cut off my toe. I had to get away, so I sent a blasting curse at a nearby gas line, causing the explosion that killed all those Muggles. I used the opportunity to shift into my rat form and escape."

"Please explain shift into a rat?"

"I am a rat Animagus."

"Where have you being hiding for the last ten years?"

"I have being hiding as Percy Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers."

"Do you go by any other names?"

"Wormtail."

The interrogation continued until lunch time when Peter was forced to change back into Scabbers after Harry retrieved Voldemort's wand. Hermione then put her memories of the interrogation into a series of vials to be passed on to Rita Skeeter at their next meeting.

"What memories did you adjust?" Hermione asked Harry after she finished collecting the memories.

"I added the memories of Dumbledore and Malfoy, but I removed Wormtail's memory of collecting Voldemort's wand. So we can use it to blame Voldemort for some of the things we'll have to do."

Doug and an invisible Hermione then left for their appointment with Rita while Harry continued to pump Wormtail for information on Voldemort's plans.

Doug and Hermione went straight to the room he had rented at the Leaky on the previous day. Doug then cast a silencing and notice-me-not charm on the corner where Hermione would be hiding under the invisibility cloak. Then he went down to the bar to meet Rita while Hermione prepared the pensieve along with the memories they wanted Rita to see. Rita and Doug came back upstairs after some time.

"You're telling me that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, two Hogwarts first years, had to deal with a troll all by themselves, without any help from their professors?"

"I have the memories right here, you can see for yourself."

"I am loving this arrangement with Harry." Rita exclaimed in delight.

"And that's not all. Harry and his friend, Hermione, investigated the Troll incident themselves and discovered that Sirius Black did not betray the Potters as was thought. Peter Pettigrew was the true culprit and is responsible for the Potters' deaths.

"You have actual evidence of this?" Rita asked, stunned.

"Yes, but this last thing needs to be kept quiet for a little longer."

"How long do I have to sit on the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern wizarding memory?"

"Just until, say, the middle of the week. As soon as Pettigrew is in Auror custody, you can go ahead and print your story. If your editor wants to know why you held off, just tell him you were investigating the facts since a lot of powerful people are involved."

"That sounds good to me. Can I see those memories now?" Rita said, excitedly.

Rita spent a long while carefully examining the memories along with Doug.

"I agree, all of this looks really bad for Dumbledore. But I don't know if I'm willing or ready to go up against Lucius Malfoy."

"How about we give you 200 galleons if Fudge can ensure Sirius' safety and a fair trial? We know you are on good terms with Minister Fudge. You have the necessary connections to get it done."

"How about 1,000 galleons? After all, this will mean taking on Lucius Malfoy. Who is someone you really don't mess with," Rita countered.

"300 galleons, since you have evidence to prove that his story about being under Imperius is patently false.

"800 galleons, since I doubt Peter will dare to mention Malfoy's name in trial."

"500 galleons is my last and final offer."

"Deal," Rita agreed.

"200 galleons for the deposit and the rest on delivery," Doug told her.

"300 galleons for deposit and the rest on delivery," Rita countered.

Doug hands over the 300 galleons to an eager Rita.

"This is looks like the beginning of a fruitful relationship." Rita told him as she accepted a bulging sack of galleons.

"By the way, do you have any information that might encourage the apothecary in Diagon Alley to sell their business?"

"I just might."

"We are willing to pay you 50 galleons upfront for the information. If the information is correct and we are successful then we are willing to pay you a substantial bonus."

"Let me get back to you on that one," Rita says as her head fairly spun with plots to obtain the needed information.

Rita slipped the vials of memories into her purse and left a considerably richer woman.

Hermione and Doug packed up the pensieve and headed back home after paying Tom for the use of the room.

Hemione waited while Harry Obliviated Wormtail's memories of their encounter and his brief stay in the Granger home. Then they slipped the unconscious Scabbers back into a travelling cage and headed back to Hogwarts.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry woke up early on Monday morning to ensure he would have the pleasure of witnessing the fallout from Rita's latest article. He waited impatiently for Hermione to get up and get dressed so they could go to the Great Hall together.

As soon as they were in the halls, Harry turned to Hermione excitedly. "Do you think Rita's article about the troll will be in today's newspaper?"

"I hope so. We want to make sure that Dumbledore doesn't find out. Plus, the longer it takes for him to react, the more impact the article has and the more damage will be done to Dumbledore's reputation."

"I need you to do a little research for me today, Hermione."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I need you to research Portkey targeting."

"I think I see where you're going with this. That shouldn't be too hard."

They arrived at the Ravenclaw table and chose a seat closer to the staff table than they usually did, but not so close as to arouse suspicion.

Dumbledore came down early and started eating his breakfast as quickly as possible. Just as Dumbledore finished eating, the Dailey Prophet arrived and he took his copy as he left without reacting. The gobsmacked expressions on the other professors' faces were pretty funny and had them both stifling laughter. Snape's reaction would have been even funnier, but with the Potions professor a current resident in the infirmary, that was one pleasure they were, sadly, forced to do without.

Draco and his cronies looked highly pissed off, but they didn't dare approach Harry for comment. They still preferred to avoid Harry like the plague as they were convinced that the enemies curse really did exist. Ron and Neville looked even worse, they were visibly fuming. Harry suspected that Ron was particularly furious because his name wasn't mentioned in Rita's article, while a mudblood like Hermione was. Ron and Neville were still really sleep-deprived and were too exhausted to follow them around as before, but Harry could tell they were somehow managing to adjust to their new sleepless state and suspected that the annoying pair would go back to stalking himself and Hermione before long.

Settling back in his seat, Harry unfolded the newspaper and began reading Rita's article.

Dumbledore Unleashes Troll On Defenseless Students

By Rita Skeeter

On Halloween, I was stunned to discover, a troll somehow managed to gain access to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is purportedly the most secure location in magical Britain. The troll stumbled across what it thought were two helpless first year students, who could have easily been killed. Were the professors of Hogwarts on hand to protect these defenseless students? No, the young students were left to fend for themselves. Luckily, the students in question happened to be Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, and his best friend, Hermione Granger. Fortunately, the gifted duo were able to make short work of the troll, all on their own.

Did these brave students get any awards, points or even a simple public acknowledgement of their achievement? No. In fact, this reporter has learned that Mr. Potter and Miss Granger were forced to spend the night in the infirmary, even though neither student had suffered a single injury. Was there even an investigation to find out exactly how a troll happened to gain access to the halls of Hogwarts, putting the lives of hundreds of students at risk? I have looked into the matter and was stunned to find that nothing was said to the students or parents about any such investigation. It appears that Dumbledore merely informed his students that the troll had been removed from the school. Such blatant subterfuge begs the following questions: Is Albus Dumbledore truly fit to be the headmaster of such a prestigious wizarding school? And should we continue to entrust this individual with the lives of our precious children?

One concerned citizen, someone who has regular contact with Hogwarts students, informed me of exactly what transpired that night. Being the tireless investigating reporter that I am, I was able to gain confirmation for this story from several other reliable sources. Since the professors do not appear to believe student safety to be a serious issue, I believe we must call upon independent investigators from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to look into this matter. I will continue to investigate goings on at Hogwarts and will keep you informed as this story continues to unfold.

Not long after lunch, Harry and Hermione were approached by Professor Flitwick.

"Mister Potter and Miss Granger, you will please report to the Headmaster's office immediately."

"Do you mind accompanying us as our adult representative?" Hermione requested, smiling faintly.

"Well... I suppose I could," Professor Flitwick replied, with some reluctance.

They walked together to the Headmaster's office in perfect silence.

"Good afternoon Harry, Hermione. Please take a seat. You may go, Professor Flitwick."

"We would like Professor Flitwick to remain as our adult representative," Hermione informed him.

Professor Dumbledore was clearly unhappy with this situation and the alteration of his plans.

"Fine. Would like like to explain to me precisely why you obviously felt the need to inform the media about private Hogwarts business without my permission?" Dumbledore demanded.

Harry blinked innocently. "We said nothing at all to Miss Skeeter about the matter. However, Hermione did tell her parents about what happened. They most likely contacted the Prophet as they were unsatisfied with your response to the situation. Or lack thereof." As he responded to Dumbledore's question, Harry suddenly felt the headmaster attempting to use Legilimency to access his mind.

Just as Dumbledore was about to be hypnotised by Harry's hexed spectacles, Dumbledore abruptly stopped and started looking at Hermione. He then attempted to gain access to her mind, but was foiled as Hermione's mental shields were too strong for a passive form of Legilimency.

"I think it is for the best if you are no longer permitted access to the outside world. You will both no longer be permitted access to any of the owls, your personal owl included."

"My mentor will not appreciate your interference with our communication. He expects regular owls from me and will become very suspicious if he doesn't hear from me in a timely manner," Harry replied.

"I am your magical guardian to you both as the headmaster of Hogwarts, and I say you will no longer be permitted to enjoy contact with your mentor."

"If you want to play rough, then hear this: my mentor has informed me that he has support at the highest levels of the goblin hierarchy and he can and will charge you with the crime of thievery within the Goblin Nation. Any and all accounts you have access to will be seized. By the way, that will include the Hogwarts school account. Should you enter any branch of Gringott's, you will be immediately arrested, charged and imprisoned for life, as the goblins consider thievery to be a major crime." Harry stared the headmaster down and Dumbledore gulped, with fear plain in his watery blue eyes.

"Well, I never! Professor Dumbledore did not and would never steal anything from anyone!" Professor Flitwick loudly declared.

"He stole fifty thousand galleons worth of Basilisk parts and admitted it to a third party," Harry informed him. The lack of response from Dumbledore confirmed Harry's story, which visibly upset Professor Flitwick.

"I demand to know who your mentor is." Dumbledore furiously demanded, his kind, grandfatherly persona evaporating before their very eyes.

"Knowledge is power. So why would I grant my declared enemy any power?" At that, Harry turned and prepared to leave with Hermione guarding his back, just in case Dumbledore decided to try anything further. Just Harry was about to exit, he turned to add one final warning.

"Incidentally, if you attempt to cause harm to or detain Hermione or myself in any way, shape or form-that includes including trying to Obliviate us, restrict our movements or having us followed-my mentor will find out during our holiday and will not hesitate to take swift legal action. You have been warned."

Professor Flitwick was obviously thinking about remaining behind to discuss the matter with his employer when Harry turned to him with a tight smile.

"I recommend you to leave with us. Professor Dumbledore will most likely wipe your memory of this encounter as soon as we're gone."

"He can try, but wizarding mind magics are not effective with me. I will speak to you two later about what has being happening." Flitwick replied. Harry and Hermione nodded to the diminutive professor and made their exit. As soon as they were outside hearing range, both students sighed with relief.

"That was very close," Harry said, some moments later.

"I think I will go straightaway to make sure both our doors are warded completely. Harry, would you mind going to my parents to arrange for Emily to purchase us some protective necklaces? Next time that Basilisk sheds, we are going to make some body armour for ourselves," Hermione said, her mind whirring busily in planning mode.

"Why don't I give the Basilisk an extra-good feeding and see if I can't speed up the shedding process?"

"Yes, definitely do that. You should also ask Emily if she can find that book about how you can help an animal speed up the shedding of its skin. I remember something about a spell like that from when we were researching Basilisks. You probably have to shoot the spell into its mouth, I think, as Basilisk skin is extraordinarily resistant to magic. That's why we really need to make armour from it."

They each headed off to accomplish their tasks, using the Headmaster's meeting as an excuse for not attending their assigned class. Classes were a real nightmare now, with so many students gawking at them everywhere they went. Mandy and her friends Lisa and Isobel, had asked them at breakfast if the articles were true, and for more details about what happened. When they finally shared a class with the Hufflepuffs, Susan, Hannah and Justin all asked the same things as Mandy and her friends. Just before lunch, Harry hid using one of the invisibility cloaks and the Marauders' Map and silently cast the diarrhea curse on Dumbledore as he passed by on his way to the Great Hall.

Lunch was hilarious with so many people staring at them. Halfway through lunch, a red-faced Dumbledore suddenly fled the staff table in search of the closest bathroom. The instant the headmaster was gone, Professor Flitwick started whispering to his fellow professors, who were visibly shocked by what their colleague was telling them.

"I guess Professor Flitwick is telling them about the stolen Basilisk parts," Harry whispered to Hermione.

"What do you think are the odds of Professor Flitwick asking to speak to us after lunch?" Hermione whispered back.

"Pretty good, definitely not something I would bet against," Harry replied.

As Hermione had predicted, Professor Flitwick approached them just as soon as he finished his lunch. As he led them to his office, Harry quickly warded the room with a strong privacy spell.

"Sir, we are going tell you a few things that you might find hard to believe, but they are true, nonetheless."

"Okay, I am willing listen with an open mind."

"Hermione has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I went to see someone with Hermione for company in an attempt to undo the damage that the Dursley family had inflicted on me over the years. This person was able to indentify several loyalty and compulsion charms placed on me by Professor Dumbledore, that were specifically keyed to his person. Professor, would you like Hermione to check to see if similar charms have been placed on you?"

"Why don't I call the other Heads of House? With the exception of Professor Snape, of course, as he is incapacitated at the moment. That way, Hermione can examine us all with me there to verify whatever she might find," Professor Flitwick suggested after a few moments of thought.

"That sounds find to me, but they all must swear they will keep everything completely confidential. We should also include Madam Pomfrey, as what we're about to do can be considered medical in nature," Harry replied.

"That's an excellent idea, Mr. Potter."

Hermione then removed the privacy spells on the room as soon as they decided that the meeting should take place after dinner, so as to avoid any interruptions. Professor Snape was still in the infirmary fighting a severe magic-resistant infection and Professor Dumbledore was kept busy fighting to keep his Chief Warlock position. As a result, that day's double Potions turned into a free period, much to the delight of their fellow students. To pass the time, Harry took over the research for developing a Portkey targeting charm while Hermione went home to brew the dementia potion and get started teaching Ashley some of Snape's discoveries.

By the end of the free period, Hermione had finished brewing the dementia potion and had demonstrated to Ashley three of the improved potions that Snape had devised.

After dinner, Professors Sprout, McGonagall and Flitwick, along with Madam Pomfrey all met Harry and Hermione in Professor Flitwick's well-warded office. Professor Flitwick added a series of potent privacy charms and forced everyone present to sign the magical contract that Hermione had designed, complete with an embedded curse that would be unleashed on any violators.

Professor McGonagall was particularly reluctant to sign the agreement, so Harry recounted what he had shared with Professor Flitwick earlier that day.

"So, let me get this straight, Harry. You're telling us that you actually had compulsion and loyalty charms placed on you by Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall said in tones ripe with frank disbelief.

"Yes. There is no way to provide proof of this, as naturally the evidence was destroyed by the removal itself," Harry responded.

"On top of that, you also believe that similar charms might have be placed on us and that these charms are so obscure that a normal detection spell won't detect it. That sounds a bit far-fetched to me," Professor McGonagall said, her expression making it clear she thought the whole idea to be preposterous.

Hermione then demonstrated to Professor Flitwick the advanced detection charm they had learned. After they experimented on some rats, the professor was satisfied that it was a true detection spell and that it was perfectly safe. Finally, they were prepared to perform the first test.

"Professor Sprout, do mind going first? I will be performing the detection spell and we need Poppy to observe just in case anything goes wrong. And I very much doubt if Professor McGonagall would be willing to be our first volunteer," Professor Flitwick smiled at her.

"You're right about that," McGonagall replied, with a sniff of disdain.

"Alright, I trust you implicitly, Filius," Sprout readily agreed. Professor Flitwick promptly cast the spell and an array of colours appeared surrounding Sprout with the radiance of a rainbow. Flitwick then cast another spell to help interpret the specific colours.

Flitwick and Poppy start whispering to each other.

"Pomona, I'm afraid that you do have compulsion and loyalty charms on your person. And they are keyed to and were performed by Dumbledore," Flitwick announced to Sprout.

"I don't believe this rubbish," Professor McGonagall spat and she stormed from the room in a huff.

"Don't worry, I will speak to her later tonight and perform the spell on her as well. Without her knowledge, if necessary," Professor Flitwick added, grimly.

"You will remove Dumbledore's charms from me this instant!" Professor Sprout was flushed with anger. Madam Pomfrey immediately removed the charms and checked her general health, just in case there were any adverse reactions.

Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey examined each other, discovered they had been inflicted with the same compulsion and loyalty charms and got rid of them at once.

"Do you think we should go to the DMLE and report Dumbledore for using charms on us against our will?" Flitwick asked, frowning.

"We were thinking of the same thing after they we found them on Harry. Unfortunately, the detection spell we used is not the standard one used by the Ministry, so it cannot be used as evidence," Hermione stated.

"I see we have no recourse, then. We will just have to be constantly on our guard around Dumbledore. Have you learned to use Occlumency to counter Dumbledore's Legilimency invasions?"

"We will all have to learn, I'm afraid. Dumbledore aside, Poppy needs to be able to protect the privacy of her patients, while the rest of the staff needs to learn it to keep certain students from using it to gain knowledge of exam questions and answers using that particular technique," Flitwick replied.

"Make sure to keep your shields up whenever you're dealing with Dumbledore. And we'll need to check each other on a regular basis to ensure that Dumbledore doesn't reapply the charms we removed," Hermione suggested.

"And never go alone to see Dumbledore. Having no witnesses around gives Dumbledore a prime opportunity to both reapply the charms and Obliviate you at his whim," Harry added.

"Is this why you don't trust Professor Dumbledore?" Professor Sprout asked, shaking her head in dismay.

"This is just one of the many reasons I don't trust him," Harry replied.

"If you don't mind, what are some of the other reasons you don't trust him?" Professor Sprout asked.

"He tried to steal one of my family's heirlooms. The most recent was his appropriation of Potions ingredients that happen to belong to me."

"If you are talking about the Basilisk parts, Dumbledore claimed that he was trying to protect you and lost some of it, purely by accident," Professor Flitwick supplied.

"If you call giving the parts to Snape and allowing him to use them for potions experiments an accident," Harry said, angrily.

"Harry, please calm down." Hermione said softly, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him.

"Hermione, why don't you tell us exactly what happened?"

"Harry received some Basilisk parts from a friend and he gave Remus the job of selling the parts on his behalf. But Remus reported Harry's business to Dumbledore. Dumbledore then seized the parts from Remus and gave them to Snape, who started using them in his potions experiments. When Harry found out, he threatened to press charges and Dumbledore didn't have any choice but to give the parts back to avoid prosecution. Minus what Snape had already used and effectively stole, since he didn't have the galleons to pay for them. Dumbledore refused to pay for what Snape used and insisted that it was Snape's responsibility. So Remus ended up being stuck with the bill for the parts that were stolen and used," Hermione summarized.

Poppy, Flitwick and Sprout were all taken aback by Dumbledore's actions.

"Is it possible that Remus is also under the influence of Dumbledore's charms?" Poppy wondered.

"No. It so happens that those particular charms don't work on individuals with his unique characteristics," Hermione replied.

They talked for a while before everyone went their separate ways. Harry and Hermione headed straight to the library to continue their research on Portkey charms and helping reptiles to shed their skin. An hour before curfew, they took a trip to the Room of Requirement to test out the Portkey targetting charm (that Hermione had found in yet another rare tome) and the dead skin removal charm. Harry put the charm on a book using Voldemort's wand and had Hermione hide it in a particularly secluded part of the Ravenclaw common room. Again using Voldemort's wand, Harry made a Portkey for the Granger home using the targeting charm.

The targeting charm could defeat wards by creating a temporary and completely undetectable hole in the wards for the Portkey to pass right through.

Harry and Hermione pretended to go to sleep, then they created dummy replicas of themselves in their beds to trick any of their mates who might awaken while they were gone.

After two successful trials after curfew, Harry also placed the charm on Wormtail's Dark Mark.

Harry then went back to the Grangers to collect the farm animals he had asked Emily to acquire earlier in the day. Then he headed to the Chamber of Secrets to feed the Basilisk and place another targeting Portkey charm on a rock in the chamber using one of his many alternate wands. After discussing with the Basilisk about how often it could shed its skin, it turns out that it would shed while it was awake and the process was just about to begin. Harry asked if it was willing to allow him to try out a spell he discovered that would remove all of the dead skin at once. Gaining its assent, Harry successfully removed the dead skin from the snake, collected all the valuable Basilisk parts and cleaned and replaced the catheter that came off with the skin.

Harry then went to the Granger house to drop off the parts he and collected and to leave a note for them to arrange for this batch of Basilisk skin to be made into body armour for the acromantula hunting party, plus another set of armor for himself and Hermione. Measurements of the hunting party would have to be taken, but Herminone had already provided her own and Harry's measurements earlier.

Meanwhile, Hermione was busy sneaking into the infirmary to dose Professor Snape with the dementia potion.


	15. Chapter 14 Investigation

Chapter 14 - Investigation

The next morning during breakfast, Amelia Bones, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement and Susan Bones' aunt, walked into the Great Hall. She was followed closely by a pair of aurors and a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and headed straight for Albus Dumbledore's seat at the staff table.

"May I help you, Amelia?" Dumbledore said in his most grandfatherly manner.

"We have been asked by Minister Fudge to investigate a report of a category XXXX dangerous magical creature running loose in the halls of Hogwarts and putting at risk the precious lives of many of wizarding society's most prominent and influential citizens at risk," Amelia Bones declared.

It was plainly obvious this little speech was something Minister Fudge had specifically instructed her to say.

"The Minister should never have gotten involved in an entirely internal Hogwarts matter. A matter, by the by, that has already been looked into and dealt with to my satisfaction," Dumbledore informed the Ministry delegation, his attitude making it clear that he considered the discussion to be over.

"The Minister happens to disagree, Professor Dumbledore. Minister Fudge has demanded a fully-transparent investigation into the troll incident. And the results of that investigation will be publicly released to show that the Ministry does care deeply about the safety of magical Britain's children. Now, Dumbledore, we would like to know what the results were of your internal investigation into the matter," Amelia demanded.

"Why don't we retire to my office, Madam Bones, so that we can discuss this more privately?" Professor Dumbledore offered.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible. The Minister has insisted that our inquiry and investigation be conducted in a completely visible manner. Now, Professor, if you will kindly answer my question?"

"I must insist that I speak to Minister Fudge before we go any further. I believe we can easily sort all this out without any further fuss," Professor Dumbledore wheedled, smiling genially.

Sensing that the matter was quickly devolving into what would become a political tug-of-war between Fudge and Dumbledore, Amelia decided to take a neutral approach and agreed to a discussion in Dumbledore's office..

"If you insist, than fine, we will move this discussion to your office so we can have the Minister's personal input in this investigation," Amelia agreed, and her delegation followed Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

Professor Quirrell was twitching and visibly ill-at-ease. It was obvious that Dumbledore would be occupied for some time with the Ministry inquiry.

At the end of Charms class, Professor Flitwick requested that Harry and Hermione remain behind.

"Thank you for staying, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. First, I want you both to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you from Professor Dumbledore during the school year. I'm afraid, however, there isn't much I can do to help you outside of school, as Dumbledore's reach and influence has expanded greatly over the years."

"We both thank you for your offer, it is very much appreciated," Harry smiled with relief.

"By the by, I did cast the detection charm on Professor McGonagall last night, along with our other professors, but the results were negative."

"Is Professor McGonagall still angry?" Hermione asked.

"Oh my, that is quite the understatement, Miss Granger. I'm afraid that Minerva is much too set in her ways, much to her detriment. The very idea that Professor Dumbledore might not be the man she believes him to be has upset one of the major cornerstones of her life. That being the case, I highly recommend that you both stay away from her as much as possible."

"We will certainly try to do so, sir."

"In your Transfiguration classes, how has she been?"

"She has been okay. Professor McGonagall is extremely strict and we rarely get points from her even if we are the first to successfully perform a new spell. I really hope she doesn't end up becoming as bad as Professor Snape."

"No one is as bad as Professor Snape," Flitwick commented with a shudder. " Incidentally, you should know that the removal of those charms has meant that Professor Sprout and I fully intend to report Professor Snape's unprofessional behaviour to the Hogwarts Board of Governors. I have noticed that much bullying going on in this school that I previously would have ignored, but I am now punishing them. A good many of those students are Slytherins, of course, but I am saddened to see a good many from my own Ravenclaws among their number."

"How could the removal of those charms result in your willingness to deal with bullying?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Professor Dumbledore has always felt that children will be children, and recommended that we all ignore anything but blatant abuse, suggesting that punishing students too frequently or too harshly would anger the parents of those students. I'm now certain that Dumbledore's main focus has become protecting his own position instead of protecting the students who have been entrusted to our care. Our enforced loyalty encouraged us to assist him in protecting that position, I'm afraid."

"When did he tell you this?"

"Oh my, many years ago, Harry, long before even your parents attended this school," Professor Flitwick said, clearly ashamed.

"So all this time, bullying has been completely overlooked, perhaps even subtly encouraged," an outraged Harry demanded.

"Yes," Professor Flitwick responded softly, just before Hermione intervened, telling Harry to calm down and that it was time to leave.

During their free period before lunch, Hermione wanted desperately to go home so that she could teach Ashley more of the improved potions. Unfortunately, she was unable to due to the impending interview she was expecting from the DMLE officials regarding the troll incident. Instead, she and Harry decided to hole up in the library, researching and making copies of books.

At lunch, you could practically cut the tension with a knife at the head table. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were the clear leaders of one faction, while Professor McGonagall and Hagrid led the other, with the latter staunchly supporting Professor Dumbledore, while the former were questioning Dumbledore's actions and wondered exactly what the headmaster might be capable of. They were eyeing each other with deep suspicion, but neither side was willing to voice their anger in front of the students.

After surreptitiously observing their professors for several minutes, Harry turned to Hermione and whispered, "I would just love to be a fly on the wall at the next staff meeting."

Hermione burst out laughing.

"I am almost tempted to offer Rita a bundle of to go to that meeting in her beetle form and so she could provide her memory of it to us," Harry added with a grin.

"Hm. It's a thought. Of course, the nice thing is that with the professors all concentrating on each other, they'll have less time to pile more homework on us all."

"If it wasn't for the investigation, this would be the perfect time for Professor Quirrell to make a move on the Philosopher's Stone," Harry speculated.

"Are we going to make a play for the stone?" Hermione asked.

"Nah, it's a fake, the Dumbledore portrait told me it was a fake a few years ago. He wasn't able to get the real one away from the Flamels." Harry replied, matter-of-factly.

"Are you telling me that we actually risked our lives over a fake stone all those years ago?" Hermione demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yeah, we did. We just didn't know it at that time," Harry said, darkly.

"Are we going to pretend to protect it this time?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so. No need for us to be Dumbledore's pansies this time around."

"Should we maybe help our replacement pansies along?" Hermione asked seriously.

"Nah!" They both said before bursting out in laughter.

"When do you think they will interview us?" Hermione asked.

"I'm guessing sometime this afternoon. Did you notice that Professor Quirrell isn't at the head table? I expect he's being interviewed right now."

"I want to have it over and done with so that I can get back to teaching Ashley and seeing my parents," Hermione complained.

"You like Ashley?"

"That's not why I feel so driven to teach her. I really, really want to see Snape's reaction as his life work gets published under someone else's name and knowing that there's not a single thing he can do about it. His frustration and anger with his inability to do anything will speed up the effectiveness of the dementia potion too," Hermione said with conviction.

"Do you really hate Snape that much, Hermione?" Harry asked in concern.

"Yes, I do. Remember, he was the dirty bastard who made the love potion that ended in my rape," spat a furious Hermione.

"Maybe you should dose him with a potion specifically keyed to Dumbledore," Harry suggested in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"He probably is already doing Dumbledore for his protection, why should we help him along?"

"Maybe we should dose Ron and Draco Malfoy to love each other. Can you imagine that one?"

"Ron would probably enjoy it too much. Especially if Draco paid him back with expensive gifts and clothes instead of his usual hand-me-downs."

"Hm. How about Molly Weasley with Lucius Malfoy? A one-sided love affair with Molly following Lucius like a puppy everywhere he goes?"

"We could never be that cruel to the Weasley twins."

"When should we hand in Wormtail, do you think?" Harry asked.

"I was thinking we should turn him in right after the Ministry finishes their investigation. That way, Professor Dumbledore has to take the heat of the troll incident then deal with the added fallout of him being outed as the one who was responsible for putting an innocent man in Azkaban."

"That's perfect. I totally agree."

"We should start heading to class now, we don't want to be late for Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall still on our case," Harry said as he stretched and grabbed his books.

"You're right, of course. Let's go," Hermione added, grabbing her things and exiting the library.

Professor McGonagall was particularly tough on them in class, but nothing too over the top. Then they had DADA with Professor Quirrell. The professor was obviously scared shitless by the troll investigation and would jump like a toad at the slightest sound. Just before the end of class, Professor McGonagall came to retrieve Hermione for her interview with the aurors. As Hermione and Professor McGonagall walked to the interview, therewas an uncomfortable silence between them.

Just before they reached the meeting room, Professor McGonagall could hold it in no longer. "What you trying to do to Dumbledore is just not right, young lady. You are trying to destroy the reputation of a very great man. A person I happen to greatly admire and respect. Your accusations cannot possibly be true. I happen to well know the man he is and he would never do the terrible things you are accusing him of."

"We trying to show you the kind of man Dumbledore really is, not the fake persona he hides beind in public. You're only seeing what he wants you to see. But no one can possibly get to level of influence and power Dumbledore has attained over the years by being faultlessly kind and good all the time. A nice man would be eaten alive by the political predators out there. Dumbledore is a skilled actor and you're hardly the first person nor the last to be fooled by his masterful performance, Professor. You need to learn to think for yourself and not blindly accept his words at face value."

"I guess we will have to agree to disagree for now, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said as she opened the door of the classroom that was being used for the interrogations.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Thank you for joining us. I am Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. From your right is Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, Senior Auror John Dawlish and from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, Amos Diggory." Amelia said in introduction.

Hermione and the Ministry officials nodded to each other in greeting and were seated.

"Do you mind if I get an adult to represent my interests?" Hermione asked.

"That is what Professor McGonagall is here for, in her capacity as Deputy Headmistress." Amelia replied.

"I must admit that I don't trust Professor McGonagall to protect my interests to the best of her ability. Is it possible for my Head of House, Professor Flitwick, to represent me instead?" Hermione asked Amelia at the outrage of Professor McGonagall.

"Are you questioning my professionalism?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"I am saying that you have interests of your own that preclude you from effectively representing mine. If my best interests should happen to conflict with that of Hogwarts or Professor Dumbledore, which would you choose ?" Hermione said in response.

Professor McGonagall was too visibly furious to respond.

Seizing this opportunity, Hermione added, "Maybe it would be for the best for Professor McGonagall to retrieve Professor Flitwick? That will give us both a few minutes to calm down."

Professor McGonagall could see she wouldn't be getting any support from anyone else in the room, so she turned on her heel and left before she was actually forced to leave. As soon as Professor McGonagall was out of earshot, Hermione pulled a Pensieve out her bag along with a few vials.

"These contain Harry's and my memories of our encounter with the troll on Halloween night. Do you need to borrow my Pensieve?" Hermione said.

"Why don't we borrow it and return it to you later as we did not bring one with us? Would you like us to watch it right now?"

"That is up to you. Do you mind meeting Harry and myself after your investigation of the troll is complete?"

"I don't see why not. I will say I had to return your Pensieve. By the way, where did you get a Pensieve in the first place? They are quite expensive and rare, as I'm sure you know," Amelia replied.

"Harry got it as a gift from one of his wealthier fans. How long do you think this investigation is going to take?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"There will be at least one more day of interviews, we have already interviewed Hagrid, Professor Quirrell and Filch. We still need to interview the other professors, including Professor Snape. Of course, we have yet to interview Harry himself. We may possibly conduct a few second interviews that we deem necessary. After that, we each have to fill out our reports and submit them."

"I expected you to say a day or so. Not so much detail."

"This investigation needs to be completely above board as Minister Fudge wants to show our caring side. By the way, do you mind telling me what you have against Professor McGonagall?" Amelia asked, frowning slightly.

"Professor McGonagall believes that Dumbledore is practically Merlin reincarnated, while I think he is a highly flawed and dangerous individual," Hermione replied.

Professor Flitwick and McGonagall arrived at just that moment. Professor McGonagall must have heard what they were saying, as she was staring at Hermione in horror.

"Since everyone is here, let us begin the interview," Amelia intoned, with everyone nodding their assent.

"Will you state your full name for the record, if you please?" Amelia said in a professional manner.

"Hermione Jean Granger."

"When were you born?" Amelia asked

"19 September 1979."

"Please tell us, in your own words, what exactly transpired on the evening of 31 October 1991."

"Harry and I were in the library studying, when we realized that it was time for dinner. So we made our way to the kitchens to avoid the Halloween feast celebration."

"Why did you choose to go to the kitchens instead of the Great Hall?" Amelia interjected.

"Harry doesn't like to celebrate Halloween because it happens to be the night his parents were murdered."

"I see. Please continue."

"We were heading to the kitchens, but I needed to use the lavatory before going to eat. So we stopped at the one nearest the kitchens, and I told Harry to wash his hands before dinner while I freshened up. While I was in the lav, Harry suddenly told me to hurry up, that he thought he heard something. I thought it was just Harry being hungry and impatient, so I took a bit longer than I should have, I guess. After a couple minutes, he warned me to stay in the bathroom, that he had seen a troll outside. Naturally, I thought Harry was just joking, but when I opened the door, I saw there really was a troll and it was trying to keep its balance on a sheet of ice. I screamed and Banished the troll away from me, and it slid very fast across the ice and up and over the railings. That was when Dumbledore and the other professors arrived on the scene. At that point, we were questioned and forced to go to the infirmary, without further question or acknowledgement.

"That will be all, Miss Granger. Thank you for lending us your pensieve. We will examine yours and Mr. Potter's memories of the event and will return it to you as soon as possible."

Professor McGonagall asked "Exactly where did you get that Pensieve from, Miss Granger?"

"Harry gets a great many gifts from his admirers around the world. This Pensieve happens to be one of those gifts. We use it for study and, I have checked to make sure that it is not against school rules, Professor.

Professor McGonagall did not look happy.

Hermione smiled her goodbye and quickly left the room.

Harry's interview took place right after dinnner, but the interview was cut short as most of the questions had either been answered by other people or by his and Hermione's memories of the event in question. Due to the investigation, Hermione wasn't able to teach Ashley and Harry had to postpone the hunting party's tour of the Forbidden Forest's acromantula lairs.

The Ministry's investigation into the troll incident was soon complete. On Thursday evening, Amelia Bones approached Harry and Hermione privately after turning in one copy of her report to Dumbledore, and they found an empty classroom for their discussion.

"Here is your Pensieve, my dear," Amelia handed it to Hermione with a smile of thanks.

"May I ask what you wrote in your report, Madam Bones?" Hermione asked.

"Believe me, you be reading all about in tomorrow's paper as I have no doubt the press has recieved their copies of the report by now. It said that Professor Quirrell tried to take on more responsibility than he could handle and it got too much for him, putting student lives at grave risk. It was a political report as Minister Fudge wanted to highlight Dumbledore's failings, while Dumbledore was most interested in protecting his secrets from discovery. In the end, it criticised Dumbledore for his handling of the matter and reprimanded Quirrel for dereliction of his duties.

"What did you leave out of the report?"

"That, I cannot say. You wanted to talk to me?"

"We need your help."

"I will do what I can, but I can't make you any promises. Personally, I think you should have both been rewarded handsomely for your actions."

"This is going to be quite shocking, so I need you to listen and keep an open mind about what I'm about to tell you. I have a private letter from my parents that states that Sirius Black was not, in fact, their secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was and Professor Dumbledore was fully aware of this. I know this is quite an revelation, but it happens to be the truth. Since Dumbledore is so powerful and we have no proof except for my parents' letter. There was nothing we could do to get him justice, that is, until the troll incident.

After the troll incident, we secretly began our own investigation and made a discovery that we never expected to find. We found out that Peter Pettigrew was actually hiding in the Gryffindor dorms. This part has to remain a secret as we made that discovery using one of the few possessions I have left from my father. It's called the Marauders' Map and it shows the layout and whereabouts of everyone in Hogwarts. I learned from the letter that Pettigrew's Marauder nickname was Wormtail, because his Animagus form happened to be a rat. So we hunted and found the traitorous rat himself right here in Hogwarts. We are hoping that with the letter and Wormtail himself, you can prove that my godfather, Sirius Black, is innocent of the murders he was convicted of.

Amelia was in shock. This was not only a huge relevelation, but a very dangerous one as well.

"Do you want us to bring him to you now?" Harry asked. All Amelia could do was nod her head, speechlessly. Hermione rushed off to collect the rat and, hopefully, bring him to justice.

"I have a pretty good idea about exactly how damaging this could be, so you should have this too," Harry handed her a small handwritten book. The book contained all of the secrets that Snape knew and some of Voldemort's as well. Harry had spent a good part of the previous evening transcribing his notes to pass on to Madam Bones.

"What is this?"

"Someone gave me their little black book of secrets, I'm hoping they will help you clear my godfather's good name."

Amelia started reading it. If some of the revelations were true then the damage this could cause to some of the most senior Ministry officials was beyond measure. Some, she decided, she needed to investigate at once.

"I know what you are thinking," Harry said softly. "Please get Sirius out of Azkaban before anyone learns about your investigation."

"Do you know who gave you this?" Amelia asked.

"No, I gave you a copy as the original has some secrets that would devastate many innocent people. I have the original in a very safe place. Not Gringott's by the way."

Amelia did not know which what the biggest shock. The revelation that Sirius was completely innocent, that Dumbledore allowed Sirius to be convicted even though he knew Sirius was innocent, the fact that Peter Pettigrew was alive or some of the other shocking secrets in the little black book.

Hermione soon returned with an obviously terrified Wormtail and a big glass of water.

"I thought you might need this," Hermione said, handing a grateful Amelia the glass of water.

"I suspected that you might prefer a glass of something a bit stronger, but we don't have access to that. So this will have to do."

"Do you mind if I stay here for a little while to gather my nerves? I really need a little time to recover from all the shocks you've given me tonight."

"Take all the time you need. Would you rather we left you alone?"

"No, please stay. I have a few questions for you and I probably even more in a few days."

"When did you first discover Peter Pettigrew?"

"Last weekend."

"Are you certain that this is indeed Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes."

"Even if Sirius is innocent of the betrayal of the Potters, he is still guilty of killing those innocent Muggles."

"That isn't true either. After I got my letter, I emptied out my trust vault to pay a few Muggleborns to help out my godfather. I found out that Sirius was never put on trial and the investigation itself didn't support the assumption of Sirius' guilt either. He was simply locked away in Azkaban and forgotten."

Amelia questioned Harry for another half an hour before she was finally ready to leave.

"I will try my best to get your godfather released, Harry, but I can't make you a guarantee. Same with with the rest, but I will do my very best to do what I can," Amelia added, then left.

A/N Thank you to all my reviewers. I will be using a few of your suggestions in coming chapters.

I wish to thank my beta again for her great work.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story even with the early problems I had.


	16. Chapter 15 Basilisk Manure

Chapter 15 Basilisk Manure

Ron and Neville resumed their Harry Potter stalking campaign the day the investigation of the troll incident began. Using the Room of Requirement, Hermione found a useful little spell that parents used to keep their children from accidentally (or purposely) wandering away. It was designed to induce a sense of dread or fear if the child would wander to far from the boundaries their parents had chosen. The spell had fallen out of favor over a century ago when it was discovered that long-term use made the children never want to leave the home they had been raised in for the rest of their lives.

Hermione adapted the spell so that she could cast it on two people to encourage them to remain close together at all times. She experimented with rats to make sure it worked before she casted it on Neville, Ron and Draco without their knowledge. It was extremely funny for the rest of the school as the unintended trio would argue and fight, then storm off their separate ways, only to come back together somewhere else and fight some more. Harry had gotten much entertainment from observing their wanderings on the Marauder's Map at night. They would stay in their dorms at the beginning, but slowly they would find themselves spending increasing amounts of time in each others' company in a spare classroom after hours.

During the troll investigation, when Harry and Hermione were not able to go to the Granger house, Harry had spent the time researching how to expand the Chamber of Secrets to accommodate the rapidly-growing Basilisk. The duo were in the library once again when Harry turned to Hermione with a pleased smile on his face.

"I discovered a few interesting things. Did you know that we have been sitting on loads of money without even knowing it?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Hermione responded, frowning faintly.

"Did you know that Basilisk manure is extremely valuable as a fertiliser? Way more expensive than dragon manure, in fact, as Basilisks are much was rarer and are even more magically powerful. And the bigger the Basilisk, the more magical their manure is, because it has to pass through their body even longer before its expelled.

"It sounds like you're going to spend plenty of time shoveling shite, yeah?" Hermione said before bursting in laughter. Getting an annoyed stare from Madam Pince for being too noisy, Hermione quickly apologised before turning back to Harry with a wicked grin.

"And you will be helping me," Harry whispered, eyes glinting with mischief.

"No, I'm not, there is entirely too much research for me to do. Anyway, we can't both go as it would look too suspicious. And I can't go alone, as I don't know parselmouth."

"You could always you use the Portkey targeting charm to get in and out of the Chamber," Harry suggested.

"We shouldn't use that charm too often, we really don't need anyone finding out about it."

"Alright," Harry agreed, reluctantly.

"You should go in the mornings so that it looks like you're just going out to get some exercise. You're really going to need a good shower after all that shoveling," Hermione said with a smile..

Harry realised he had no chance of winning this round, so he moved on to his next discovery.

"Guess what else I found?"

"No idea, Harry."

"The ground around the chamber is likely full of magical gems, minerals and metals as its been surrounding a 60-foot magical beast for over a thousand years, its also near the convegence of magical ley lines and it was also near a magical school filled with magical beings performing magic constantly. Since I'll be spending my time shoveling shite, you should spend your time researching the finer points of magical mining. We already have all the books from when we researched how to better stabilise the chamber."

"Alright, I'll look into it a little later."

"I'm thinking you research ways to combine magical and Muggle mining methods."

"Okay, anything else?" Hermione raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"You could modify that detection charm to detect and locate different deposits."

"Okay, enough already."

So Harry spent some time each morning shoveling Basilisk shite before having a shower in the Room of Requirement. The shite he shoveled was put in odor-proof sacks and packed into trunks that he found in the Room of Lost Things and left in the Chamber of Secrets.

Friday morning, the newspaper article containing findings of the troll investigation team appeared as expected. It praised Harry and Hermione while it heavily criticised Dumbledore and Professor Quirrell, both of whom made sure to dine long before the newspaper arrived, all-too-aware of what was to come. That afternoon, after their classes for the day had concluded, Harry started searching through Voldemort's mind in an attempt to learn the destinations of the portkeys they had recovered from Riddle Manor. He also tore down all of the defences Voldemort had erected since his last mental invasion and continued his random removal of memories to confuse the living hell out of him.

On Saturday morning, when no article appeared detailing the discovery of Wormtail, Harry grew concerned by this unsettling development. As soon as breakfast was over, Harry and Hermione immediately went to visit the Grangers. Hermione was hugged by both her parents and Harry got a warm greeting from them as well.

Once everyone was gathered, Harry asked, "Does anyone know why Rita didn't write the article about us finding Wormtail?"

"Rita told me that Amelia is hoping to hold the trial for Wormtail, then Sirius' directly after, so that no one has time to plan an assassination attempt," Doug replied.

"When is the trial? And do you know if Amelia has spoken to Sirius yet?" Harry asked.

"The trial is on Monday and Amelia spoke to Sirius as soon as her interrogation of Peter Pettigrew confirmed your accusations. She moved him to a DMLE holding cell. She really wants to send him to St. Mungo's but she doesn't dare. So instead she hired a private nurse to look after him at the DMLE."

"How did Rita find out about all this?"

"Rita and Amelia bumped into each other while they both were conducting their respective investigations into Sirius' case. They have agreed to a temporary partnership. It will save them both time. After all, they have the same goal."

"Okay, what else is going on?"

"I found a house nearby for fifty thousand galleons or two hundred and fifty thousand pounds in Muggle pounds. It is about a 10 to 15 minute drive from here. The paperwork is already complete, all I need to do is connect the Floo which should be happening sometime this week. I get to move in this Monday," Doug said excitedly.

"Congratulations," Harry told him.

"Will you be less concerned about money now?" Hermione said.

"I will once I manage to pay off the massive loan I owe you guys," Doug said.

"Speaking of money, Harry found another new source of income for us," Hermione said with a smile on her face.

"Alright, I found out that Basilisk manure is extremely valuable to farmers and gardeners. I have quite a few trunks of the stuff ready andwaiting to be sold. I will bring them here later tonight so you can sell them tomorrow, Doug. And I'll need you to find me a tent that I can set up in the Chamber, so I can shower there, and three full sets of clothing and gear so I can change when I need to."

"Okay," Doug readily agreed.

"Mum, could you ask Alice to gather all of the books we have relating to mining for me?" Hermione asked.

"Okay, darling. It should not be a problem, Alice is currently moving the books from the sorting tent to Emily's tent."

"So how are Alice and Ashley doing?"

"Alice is going one day a week for a class with our accountants to learn how things should be done. Most of the time she is helping us fill in the masses of paperwork we are generating. Whenever she has a spare moment, she's moving books from the sorting tent to Emily's tent. There hasn't been any unecessary drama, at least, so far. Ashley is usually either working on setting up the potions lab or reading one of the many potion books that Emily has copied for her. But it's still too early to tell, for either of them."

"Emily, how are things going on the replicating vanishing cabinets front?" Hermione asked.

"I had Doug track down all of the necessary materials for me. Some of the materials are rarer than others and we won't receive the shipment until early next week. After that, the cabinetmaker will arrive and we should start trying to build by the following week. I am writing up everything I know and gathering all the books together ready for the Cabinetmaker to come. Having existing Vanishing cabinets to look at should help immensely, according to the books."

"That's pretty good progress. Mum, did you guys have your meeting with the Outcast leadership this week?" Hermione said.

"Yes, dear, we had a great lunch together." Emma said.

"How did it go?"

"The part about the wizarding-Muggle money conversion is fine and is now sitting in our bank account earning us considerable interest as we speak. They were very keen on us purchasing some shares in a US magical newspaper and they are putting out feelers on our behalf. In regards to the Outcast Schools, after we handed them the necessary funds, they are actually willing to name the school after us. The Granger Magical Institute, it has a nice ring to it don't you think? The leader will be approaching the teaching staff with our offer and he is almost certain most of them would come aboard."

"How is the house-hunting going?"

"This was just the first round, seeing what's currently available. Now we need to work out exactly where we want to move. The whole process will likely take a few weeks."

"How about the necklaces and the magical armour?"

"Done, your necklaces and personal armour are right here, we had them done first as you seem to be in a rush to get them. You even have room to grow, they designed your armour to be expandable to a point." Emily replied.

"Great! By the way, we also need prank supplies for Peeves and for something else I've been working on. I think three full trunks should do."

"By the way, did Rita have any information about the apothecary we wanted to buy?"

"She is putting that job aside for the moment. Rita wants to focus her full attention on Sirius' case, since the situation is particularly sensitive."

"That's probably for the best anyway, it really should wait until Sirius is about to be released. It would be better if Sirius buys it on our behalf as the purebloods are less likely to make a stink if a fellow pureblood makes the purchase than if we do it on our own."

"What did I tell you two about counting your chickens before they're hatched?" Dan said.

"Don't."

"Right. You're starting with the assumption that your godfather would be willing to work with us right off. But, really, that's a very big maybe. Don't forget that Sirius Black is a pureblood himself.

"Moving on, how about the acromantula hunting party?"

"We were forced to reschedule that little expedition. But the hunting party has already moved into the Shrieking Shack. So anytime after Monday you can head on up there and show them where the acromantula colony is located, how big the colony is, how many, any weaknesses and so forth. I thought it would be a better idea if you didn't get started on the weekend while they are so many students out and about. You're much better off taking care of it during the week while both the students and staff are busy. There will be much less risk of anyone seeing anything you don't want them to."

"So how are they going to stun the spiders?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"I think they are planning to use the standard stunning spell."

"They need another plan. Acromantulas are highly resistant to magic. I will brew a tranquiliser and Harry, I will need you and Doug to work together to make enough dart guns for the hunting party."

"That'll be fine. If the Basilisk shite starts selling well and is half as valuable as I think it is, Doug, you might want to add a few additional animals so I can feed it especially well."

So they left on their separate ways. Hermione showed Harry the gun that she wanted him to make. Then she headed off to teach Ashley more of Snape's potions while Dan and Emma went house-hunting again and Emily continued researching the cabinets. Harry worked on making copies of the mining books for Hermione as he waited for Doug to return with the materials they needed for the guns.

Just before Hermione left to work with Ashley, Harry turned to her with something he had been thinking about.

"Hermione, I think we should show Doug the Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets."

"Just because you don't want to shovel shite by yourself is not a good enough reason to tell Doug one of our most important secrets."

"Think about it, Hermione. This would be the perfect opportunity to test Doug's loyalty and teach him a lesson in humility at the same time."

"Shoveling shite would make anyone learn humility. Couldn't you just imagine that ponce Draco Malfoy shoveling shite?" Harry snickered. "I can just picture him dragging his feet and whining the entire time. Anyway, are we agreed about Doug?"

"I think we need to motivate him by offering him 5% of any profit we make from selling the Basilisk shite."

"That sounds great." Harry said extremely happy that he would no longer be the one shoveling shite for hours on end.

"Is there enough shite down there to keep him shoveling all day and night?" Hermione asked, giving Harry her most innocent look.

"More than enough to keep him busy, at any rate. We're talking four weeks worth of shite, Hermione."

"Why don't you take him down to the Chamber of Secrets tonight then? You could leave him there to work overnight and go collect him in the morning. Give him one of the targeted Portkeys so he can get to my parents in case of an emergency. Don't show him the targeting charm yet, but make sure to stock the place with a couple week's worth of food and drink. What do you think?"

"That sounds great. I will ask Emily to get the food, drinks and other supplies for a month's stay. Then I can go spring the news on spring the news on Doug." Harry grinned, happy to have someone else take over the smelly, dirty work.

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"I thought you were busy." Harry said with a wink, quickly leaving before Hermione could throw something at him for his cheek.

As soon as Doug got back, Harry and Emily had rounded up everything Doug would need for his stay in the Chamber, tents, trunks, food and drink and a few other necessities. Doug and Harry immediately got busy working on the guns and the darts they would be using. The guns were fully magical and used runes to shoot the darts and assist in the aiming of the weapon. By the end of the day, Harry and Doug had only made one gun and a few darts, but their design was proving to work quite well. However, the pair had wasted quite a bit of time enjoying several rounds of "target practice" in the Room of Requirement.

That night, very late, Harry sneaked off to meet up with Doug and pick up everything he would need for his stay in the Chamber. The two of them packed all the shoveling gear into the tent, which Emily had already stocked with a month's worth of food and supplies, plus special expanded trunks filled with livestock to feed the Basilisk and to remove the shite from the chamber. They lined the trunk with heavy plastic to transport the livestock and had another sheet to cover the lining of the trunk to transport the shite. Harry had also brought along a targeted portkey to give to Doug a bit later. Once they had finished with their preparations, Harry lead Doug through Hogwarts to the second floor girl's lavatory.

"What are we doing at a girls' toilet?" Doug asked.

"I am about to show you another one of our secrets." Harry said in voice to make sound like it was very mysterious.

"I am not a pervert even if I might seem like one at times. So I'm not enjoying spending a bit of quality time in the girl's lav. So just show me why I'm here, okay mate?"

"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets!" Harry declared in a grand voice after he whispered in Parseltongue and opened the passageway to the Chamber. Doug's eyes went wide and he burst out laughing. Harry immediately used Silencio to quiet him until they were in the Chamber and the door had closed. Then he quickly performed the counter that would allow Doug to be heard again.

"What were you doing, trying to get us caught in the act?" Harry stared at his companion, astonished.

"It's just that it's so bloody funny! I mean, who would've thought that the entrance to Salazar Slytherin's secret lair could be found in a girl's toilet? Tell me, Harry, now who's-or rather was-the pervert here. I just wish I could tell, this is too good to not rub in a few Slytherin faces, mate."

"You know you can't tell anyone, Doug. I mean it"

"I know, I know, but just think of all the mileage you could get out of it. Slytherin House: Home of the Perverts. Now who has serious gender issues? Slytherin. Mothers, here comes a Slytherin, quick, hide the children! Slytherin has really gone down the drain. Do you smell shite? Must've been a Slytherin walking by. I have a million of these!" Doug chortled.

"Enough already, we will have for levity later, we've got work to do," Harry informed him, rolling his eyes at Doug's antics.

"Is this all there is to it? I have to admit, I was expecting something a bit more impressive than this."

"This is just the passageway to the chamber. Now come on, follow me," Harry ordered, leading the way to the Chamber itself, using Parseltongue to warn the occupant inside.

"I am coming in with someone. So please close your eyes, but perhaps you should rise up and open your mouth? My cocky friend here could really use having the daylights scared out of him."

Just as the chamber door opens, the Basilisk rose up to maximise its massive length and displayed an impressive set of fangs as well.

Doug sucked in a huge breath and stared in absolute horror before screaming like a firstie and fainting dead away.

"That was so funny!" Harry laughed in Parseltongue with the Basilisk emitting the odd hissing noises that passed for reptilian laughter, the both of them quite amused with the sight of a passed-out Doug sprawled gracelessly at their feet. The sight of a laughing Basilisk was pretty funny as well, but Harry didn't quite feel prepared to risk offending the huge creature by saying so.

"That was good," the Basilisk said when it finally finished its bout of laughter.

"I think I should probably wake him up before I feed you. I'm afraid of the sight of you feeding might make him faint on us again."

"I can wait. Can he speak our tongue as well?"

"No, Doug is far too stupid to do so," Harry said in jest.

"I am not surprised, since he faints so easily."

"He will be staying here to clean out this cave and make it nicer for you."

"I won't hurt him. But do you mind much if I scare him a few times?"

"Go right ahead. We are trying to teach him a little humility."

"So I can shit directly on him?"

"I would dearly love to see that."

"If you can wait long enough tonight, you might."

"I can't stay too long."

"Why don't you wake him up? So I can start to feed."

"Where am I?" Doug said, rubbing his eyes after Harry woke him up.

"You are in the Chamber of Secrets with a giant Basilisk."

"So that was real?"

"Yes."

"You can see for yourself." Harry said as he showed the Basilisk with its eyes closed and lying a little way from him in a non=threatening manner. Harry went to pat the Basilisk on the head like a good little dog.

"Okay what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to shovel Basilisk shite for me."

"No way. I did not sign up for this!" Doug exclaimed.

"Even if you get 5 % of the profit from the proceeds?"

"Ten percent," Doug countered. "This is one dirty and very smelly job."

"Seven, or we hire someone else to do it for us for a lot cheaper than you."

"Alright," Doug agreed, albeit reluctantly.

They both set up the tent and changed into their shite shoveling gear. Harry then fed the Basilisk and started harvesting the various Basilisk parts while Doug began shoveling shite. Harry started moving out the filled trunks to the tent the Grangers had set up. Someone from the Outcast organisation was going to pick up the shite for sale in the morning, which Doug set up so he wouldn't have to move it himself.

Just before Harry left for the night, he turned to Doug with a slightly evil grin. "Did I happen to mention that you will be staying here for the rest of the day and night? Happy shoveling, mate."

"You can't just leave me here!"

"You can stay and make good money or we can always get someone else."

"Alright, alright. I'll stay."

"Here is a Portkey out, just in case you need to leave. The password is quitter."

Harry left with a smile.

A/N Thank you for all my reviewers.

A reminder that I have a poll on my profile page on how to get rid of Draco Malfoy.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Early Sunday morning, Hermione examined and tried out the gun that Harry and Doug had constructed.

"You might want to substitue Basilisk fang for the metal syringe. Most magical creatures have an exceedingly tough hide that is very difficult puncture. Metal just is not strong enough to get the job done," Hermione commented.

"But how in the world do I carve a fang into a needle?" Harry demanded.

"You need to crush up some of the smaller fang shards into a fine powder using one of the bigger fangs as the grinder and another as the base. Once you've turned the shards into Basilisk fang grit, you can use it to create a type of sandpaper. Use the sandpaper to make a carving tool using one of the smaller fangs. I just showed Ashley a potion we can use to harden and toughen the carving tool even more by soaking the tool in the potion."

"It is going to take forever to make a single dart!"

"Yeah, so you had better get started. Is it my fault you wasted so much time yesterday playing target practice with Doug?"

"Can I ask Emily to help me?"

"You can ask, but she can always say no."

"Do you have any other suggestions that might help me with this task?"

"Work hard and get Emily to teach you some basic runes to make the job easier. Okay, now I've got to go and start working with Ashley. I'll bring you the hardening potion at lunch time."

Harry quickly left to find Emily and soon found her in her tent, reading.

"Emily, do you have time to help me?"

"What do you need help with, Harry?"

"Hermione wants me to make Basilisk fang darts and it's going to take quite a while. So I need your help to get them finished before I take the hunting party on a tour of the Forbidden Forest."

"Why is it such a difficult job?" Emily asked

"Basilisk fang is extremely hard which is why it is valuable. Shaping it will be very different as most tools are not strong enough to work with Basilisk fang."

"Why don't you use the Room of Requirement as a workshop to make the darts and the carving tools you're going to need?"

"But you can't take anything out of the Room of Requirement," Harry complained.

"Just because you can't take anything out of the room doesn't mean you can't remove anything you might make from stuff you brought into the room yourself. How much sleep did you get last night, Harry?" Emily asked.

"Not much. I spent most of the night harvesting the various Basilisk parts."

"Hm. I had better go with you so you don't end up hurting yourself."

So they both proceeded to the Room of Requirement. The room was like a modern day carpenter's workshop with magical equivalents for Muggle electrical appliances like sanders and drills. It took them a while to understand how the magical equipment worked, as they were operated with runes and enchantments instead of electricity. Even figuring out how to turn them on proved to be quite a challenge. By lunch time, they were able to make a few more guns and darts but not enough for the entire hunting party.

That afternoon, everyone had gathered for lunch at the Granger home. Preparing the meal had become a round robin affair, with everyone taking a turn. When it came to Dan, Emma or Doug they would get takeaway for everyone. This time it was Alice's turn and she had prepared a really nice lunch of salads, cold meats and cheeses and freshly baked bread.

"Where is Doug?" Alice asked, as she started preparing another plate.

"He's busy and won't be having lunch with us today," Harry responded.

"Do you mind telling us what he's doing?" Doug asked.

"I'll tell you later."

"Okay, but right after lunch."

"Ashley, how is everything going?"

"It's going great. The equipment and supplies are really amazing. I am learning so much from Hermione. And your potions library is just fantastic. This is all like a dream come true. I'm also working on a paper about some of the things Hermione has been teaching me," Ashley burbled with enthusiasm.

"That sounds really exciting," Harry said in reply, with absolute zero conviction. Potions had never been a subject he enjoyed. Hermione's study group was encouraging brewers in the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses, but it was entirely too late for Harry. Potions would forever remind him of the unpleasant experience he had with Snape the first time round. Hermione said he had real talent in it as it was very similar to cooking, which Harry was great at, but the enthusiasm was just not there.

Harry quickly abandoned the conservation between Hermione and Ashley about Potions. He did not really enjoy talking about books much either after spending so much time copying them out. So conversing with Alice was out as well.

"How is your house-hunting going?" Harry asked Dan and Emma.

"It's going great. We've been looking at so many beautiful houses. Since we want Hermione to stay with us during the holidays and still do magic, we need to look for a much bigger house than we would if it was just ourselves," Dan replied.

Curious, Harry asked, "Exactly what are you currently looking for?"

"We've told the agent that we're looking for a property with at least six bedrooms, a double garage, outbuildings and quite a bit of acreage, someplace that is close to Crawley. Our agent has said that, based on the size of the property we're looking for, we should focus on rural properties because suburban properties aren't going to be large enough to fit our needs."

"We saw one property that we loved, it had absolutely everything we wanted, but it was a grade 2 listed property. The amount of work involved in maintaining such a property would be absolutely atrocious," Emma added.

"Why should that matter, you have contacts with the magical community that can take care of it very quickly? In fact, you actually should be looking for houses with a lot potential, but that need a lot of work. You can hire wizards and witches that could take care of all that for you in no time and the goblins can make all of the planning paperwork magically appear with all of the necessary approvals."

"We didn't think of that. Dan, I think we need to contact the real estate agent this afternoon to change our preferences," Emma said, excitedly.

Harry leaned over and whispered, "We are also trying to teach Doug humility and to cure him of being so greedy. Some honest hard work like building repair or shite shoveling can only do him a world of good"

At that, Emma and Dan both burst out laughing. Everyone looked at them strangely but went back to their conversations when Dan told them that all was fine.

"Is that what you got him to do?" Emma said, finally catching her breath.

"He is busy shoveling shite in the Chamber as we speak."

"Good heavens, you didn't trap him down there, did you?"

"I did give him an emergency portkey to here, so he can leave anytime he wants."

"How did you get him to agree to shovel shite for you? He tried to avoid even moving the stuff."

"I agreed to give him seven percent of any profit we make from selling it."

"You got him good with that one, since we can include the cost of the food for the Basilisk which means the actual profit might be zero."

"I might be cruel, but not that cruel. We will give him seven percent of anything we make from selling the Basilisk shite. By the way, how much that we make from the lot we just sold?"

"About two thousand galleons."

"For three hours of work? That is amazing. How much did we fork out to pay for the livestock?"

"Around that much, you need to ask Alice about the final cost. She would know."

"I'm really not that interested."

"Getting back to Doug. Does Hermione know about it?"

"She's the one who suggested it."

"Did you two make a bet on whether Doug would use the Portkey or not?"

"Hermione isn't stupid. She knows I can get the Basilisk to scare Doug so badly that he uses the Portkey."

"What activation word did you decide on for the Portkey?"

"Quitter. And it will take him directly to the bottom of the pool in your backyard."

"I also want Doug to use the Portkey so I can see him turn up dripping wet."

"He might do so since the Basilisk seems to seriously enjoy scaring him. The taste of his fear in the air must be getting our reptilian friend off."

"I don't want to hear about a snake getting off on anything, that's completely disgusting to me." Emma said in revulsion.

"Then maybe I shouldn't mention about how the Basilisk's planning to shite all over Doug?"

"Get away from me, you repulsive young man." Emma shuddered while Dan looked as though he was desperately trying not to laugh and get himself in trouble with his wife.

Lunchtime concluded shortly after Harry told the Grangers what they wanted to know. So Harry and Emily went back to the ROR to make another batch of guns and darts. Hermione went to resume teaching Ashley after giving Harry and Emily a large flask filled with the hardening potion plus another of the tranquiliser potion for the darts. Meanwhile, Dan and Emma contacted their real estate agent with their updated requests.

By the end of the day, Harry and Emily had made all the guns and darts the hunting party would need. Emily had then decided to create a set of Basilisk fang knives and swords for each hunter and to test the balance of all of the weapons before treating them with the hardening potion. She also ordered scabbards for the knives and swords to be made from another batch of Basilisk skin.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Harry and Hermione went to the Chamber of Secrets to get Doug out. As it happened, Doug was sleeping when they arrived and jumped up in terror when he heard them enter the tent.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked, bemused.

"Everything is just fine. Let me get packed up and let's get out of here." Doug gathered his things together along with the trunkload of the shite he had shoveled and hurriedly left, never stopping to even glance in the Basilisk's direction.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked, sweetly.

"No," Doug said firmly, taking the Portkey to the Granger home without another word. Harry and Hermione burst out laughing as soon as he was gone.

The next morning at breakfast, both Professor Dumbledore and Snape were both absent. Rumors were flying that Snape's recovery was taking much longer than anyone expected, while Dumbledore was trying gather support before the Wizengamot meeting called by Minister was expected to be away all day, as he had planned even more gatherings in an attempt to gather as much support as he could.

Hostility at the head table was as obvious as ever, with the two opposing sides sitting as far apart as humanly possible. The relief on the faces of the Dumbledore supporters was plain to see when the Dailey Prophet arrived with no new scandalous revelations. Professor McGonagall had an especially smug look about her, clearly thinking that the stories about Dumbledore's more questionable activities were over. Hagrid supported Dumbledore, but didn't much like the split in that staff he was seeing. The fact that Hagrid was sitting at the staff table rather than dining at his cottage and keeping an eye on a dragon's eye told them that Professor Quirrel had yet to figure out how to get past the Cerberus guard. Professor Quirrel looked troubled and Harry and Hermione both suspected it was because Voldemort did not know what was happening to him or what was causing the holes in his memories. It was driving him mad, much to Harry's amusement.

After breakfast, Professor Flitwick came looking for Harry and Hermione.

"I think Professor Dumbledore might be in real trouble. The Hogwarts Board of Governors has called to set up a meeting today, but due to the Wizengamot session, they were forced to delay it until tomorrow."

"Do you think they will fire him?"

"I doubt it, but they will be examining his activities very closely."

"What would it take to get Dumbledore fired, I wonder?"

"It would probably take the death of an important student. Someone like Draco Malfoy, I should think. Dumbledore still has a lot of supporters, you know."

"Even with all the negative publicity he is getting?"

"They really aren't all that concerned with public opinion, Harry. If they were, Professors Binns, Snape and Trelawney would have been gone long ago." Professor Flitwick emitting a squeak of dismay when he realized just what he had said and to whom. "You did not hear me say that, alright?"

"Your secret is safe with us," Harry said, with a wicked smirk on his face.

At that, they left to go their next class. Afterwards, Harry gave Peeves another load of prank supplies as per their agreement. Peeves favourite prank was to nail either Ron, Draco or Neville with a well-aimed dungbomb while they were apart, and then watch them get together, only to separate again due to the overwhelming stench. Then Peeves would change targets. It was a game to him to see how long he could keep them apart by hitting each one of them in turn with dung bombs. The Weasley twins would occasionally join in on the game for laughs.

During lunch, Harry slipped into the Headmaster's office and released a batch of fireworks that destroyed all of the instruments Dumbledore was using to monitor him. He also confiscated every book he saw that they didn't have copies of yet. To cover up his thievery, he conjured several fake books to replace the ones he had taken. During another free period, Harry, Hermione and Emily frantically tried to copy all of the books that Harry had stolen. Doug would have helped, but he was too busy moving into his new house. While everyone was at dinner, Harry quickly returned most of the books.

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Hermione was providing cover for Harry. The absence of Dumbledore was a surprise to many people, including Professor McGonagall, who obviously expected him to turn up after lunch. Everyone discovered the reason for Dumbledore's continued absence when a special evening edition of the Daily Prophet was delivered.

The headlines read:

Sirius Black Innocent Victim, Was Framed By Peter Pettigrew And Albus Dumbledore!

By Rita Skeeter

In a surprise trial, Peter Pettigrew was questioned under veritaserum before a session of the Wizengamot. It turns out that he framed for the Sirius Black for the betrayal and murders of James and Lily Potter as well the deaths of twelve unfortunate Muggles. Albus Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was well-aware of the truth, according to the interrogation, and did nothing to help Sirius Black, who he knew to be innocent, from being convicted and sentenced to Azkaban. Peter Pettigrew will be sent through the Veil immediately for his heinous crimes. Dumbledore tried to get Pettigrew's sentence reduced to prison time, but was outvoted by his fellow members of the Wizengamot. Peter's Order of Merlin, Third Class, was taken away as well..

Sirius Black was finally given a trial immediately following the revelations made by Peter Pettigrew. He was given veritaserum and he confirmed everything that Peter said. The Wizengamot found Sirius Black innocent and is considering what compensation he should be given when he finally recovers from his terrible prison ordeal. Dumbledore attempted to have Black involuntarily committed to St. Mungo's, but was voted down again.

Dumbledore's position as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is in serious jeopardy as the DMLE begins an investigation into his involvement with the wrongful conviction of Sirius Black. Barty Crouch is also being investigated for his role in the debacle. Many other cases will also be reviewed as a result of this terrible miscarriage of justice.

We will be following this ongoing investigation and will publish any further developments as they happen.

Professor McGonagall looked as if she was sucking on a particularly sour lemon. Hagrid was sobbing into a huge handkerchief and everyone else looked shocked.

When Harry arrived in the Great Hall and saw the looks on everyone's faces, he turned to Hermione with wide eyes. "What in the world is going on?"

Hermione handed Harry the newspaper which he quickly read through.

"I wish the newspaper would've reported on Lucy Malfoy's reaction to the discovery of Sirius Black's innocence."

"We can't get everything we want. I'm really not surprised that they didn't mention that Malfoy was the Death Eater that recruited Peter Pettigrew."

A/N Thank you all for your reviews. It motivates me and helps me when I have writers block.

Thank you to my beta for reading and correcting my atrocious grammar and spelling.

This is going to be a long story. Sirius Black will feature prominently in the future.


	18. Chapter 17 Fallout

Chapter 17 - Fallout

Right after dinner, Harry, Hermione, Doug, Dan and Emily met at the Granger home. Alice and Ashley weren't invited as they were too new and their mental shields were just being developed, so their minds weren't strong enough to protect all of their employers' secrets. Emily was invited, but could not attend as she was too busy creating copies of the books they had appropriated from the Headmaster's was a very time-consuming job that would keep Emily busy well into the next day.

It was a job that they required to be done as quickly as possible, so that they could return tomorrow, given that Harry had used Voldemort's wand to keep the fireworks that he had set off in the Headmaster's office active until tomorrow evening. That being the case, anyone who attempted to the office would automatically trigger the fireworks to go off again, which made it far too dangerous for anyone to stay in the office for a prolonged period of time. Anyone who took a cursory look in the office would think everything was alright-other than the continuous fireworks display- and would not take notice of the missing books.

Doug was the last one to arrive, pointedly dragging his feet about attending. He wasn't happy that Hermione had forced him to temporarily abandon his plans to move into his new home in favor of attending.

As was often the case, Hermione spoke first.

"We are here to deal with the unexpected death of Peter Pettigrew. As you all know, we had planned to use Peter as our access point to Azhaban. His death means we need to devise a new strategy in order to gain entry to the prison. While we are thinking of ideas, Doug, could you please tell us why the newspaper article made no mention of Lucius Malfoy's involvement?"

"Rita informed me that Lucius Malfoy wants to work out a deal with you lot."

"He wants the information that Peter Pettigrew was recruited by himself to remain secret, which is why Peter Pettigrew was killed rather than being imprisoned. In return for keeping his secret,t he is willing to lobby hard to have you and Harry awarded an Order of Merlin for your efforts."

"Why is he so desperate to keep the information a secret?"

"The Black case has incited public outrage, which has sparked a movement to clean up wizarding legal system. That includes a review of any and all old cases. Lucius doesn't want to find his past activities to be subjected to public scrutiny."

Maybe we should ignore the offer and let the Ministry cart him off to Azkaban. Merlin knows, he deserves it."

"I doubt that if that would ever happen. Minister Fudge will do whatever it takes to keep raking in the galleons he earns by protecting Malfoy." Doug pointed out.

"If that is the case, then why did Malfoy make the offer?"

"Even if it doesn't get him sent to prison, if the public became aware of his, shall we say, less unsavory activities, it could seriously hurt Malfoy's political ambitions, were the facts to become widely known. He's taking precautions to prevent that from happening. By the way, if Skeeter wasn't involved, you would all surely be dead."

"Rita certainly earned her keep on this one. What is she getting from Malfoy out of this?"

"I don't know and I don't want to know. She's even holding off writing about your involvement in the case to allow you some extra time to reach an agreement with Malfoy."

"Money really does talk with these people. I say that we give Rita a two hundred galleon bonus for her work. We need to work out what we are willing to offer and what we want in return right now. Hopefully, we can reach an agreement tonight." Harry decided.

"Okay, I say we agree to destroy the memories of the interrogation and make a vow to never reveal or publicise the fact that Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater. In return, Lucius Malfoy vows not to kill or harm us and ours in any way, and also assist us in acquiring the Order of Merlins," Hermione suggested.

"I don't think he would go for all that," was Doug's opinion.

"It's just a place to start our negotiations. Maybe we can offer to sign one a cursed agreement, like the ones we designed for the DA. Instead of the kill or harm conditions, we can settle for his political help in transferring our magical custody from Dumbledore to someone we want. Malfoy doesn't need to know we plan on asking Sirius Black, else he's likely to fight us on that," Harry said.

"We should also include Dobby in the agreement," Hermione added.

"I say we offer two hundred galleons for him. But we should make acquiring Dobby a parallel negotiation instead of part of the agreement itself."

"I say 200 galleons is the minimum we should offer for him. This way, we don't have to resort to arresting him as we had originally planned," Hermione, realizing her slip, bit her lip in dismay.

"Who is this Dobby and why do you want to get him away from Malfoy?" Doug said, clearly confused, while Hermione looked rather guilty.

"He is a house elf owned by the Malfoy family and we happen to know that he's been badly mistreated. We had a plan to free him at some point, which, thankfully, we no longer need."

"I am pretty sure you can get him if you are offering that much for him since Lucius Malfoy is renowned for not liking "lesser beings" as he prefers to call them. I should go and start the negotiations now." Doug said, hopefully.

Hermione shot down the suggestion at once. "No, we still need to discuss the original purpose of this meeting, which was to figure out a way to gain access to Azkaban."

"I was thinking we could find a way to acquire incriminating evidence against that thief, Mundungus Fletcher. Then put the charm on him and turn him over to the authorities. This way, we get access to Azhaban and Dumbledore will lose one of his pet supporters," Harry suggested.

"I like it. Do you think that's a workable plan, Doug?" Hermione asked.

"I think it sounds doable, especially since Dumbledore has spent way too much political capital recently to be able to save Mundungus," Doug said, after taking a moment to reflect.

"Is that why he wasn't able to save Peter Pettigrew from being killed?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore was doing everything he could to save Peter, but Malfoy was determined to get him executed to prevent his involvement in recruiting Pettigrew from ever coming to light," Doug said.

"Now you can go and begin your negotiations on our behalf," Hermione said, thoughtfully, much to Doug's relief, and he pratically sprinted out of the door.

A curious Dan asked, "What was your original plan for getting Dobby?"

"We had planned to capture him when he attempts to get Harry in trouble with the authorities this summer. Then force Malfoy to give him to us or face charges. Our new plan is much better for everyone, especially Dobby."

They waited for several hours at the Granger home for the negotiations to be completed. During that time, Harry searched through their collection of confiscated wands, trying to find a wand that could pass for the Elder Wand. The one he chose looked very much like it, as if someone had attempted to make a replica of the Deathstick. Harry pocketed it, after breaking the wand and ambled of to help Hermione, who was already assisting Emily in making copies of the books from the Headmaster's office.

Finally, Doug returned, looking completely exhausted.

"I was able to get you Dobby for two hundred and fifty galleons. Once you give me the money to pay Malfoy, then he will transfer custody of Dobby to me, and then I'll transfer him in return, to you."

"I'll get the money from the safe in a bit," Emma told him.

"If you look over this agreement, you will see that the curse will be inflicted on whichever side breaks the contract. He is willing to help get you get whoever you want as your magical guardians and to do everything in his power to make sure you get awarded the Order of Merlins. And he also agreed not to try to steal the secret behind your cursed contracts. In return, you agree that you won't speak out against him personally, you agree to destroy all memories that implicate Malfoy as a Death Eater recruiter, and you agree to do your best to prevent your agents from speaking against Malfoy in public. Malfoy has a separate agreement with Rita, but that agreement depends on this one going through." Doug told them, summarising the agreement he had negotiated with Malfoy.

Hermione and Harry both read the contract through thoroughly before passing it on to Dan and Emma. When they finished reading, they looked at each other and nodded their agreement.

"Very good work, Doug. What do we have to do to finalise it?"

"Hermione, you have to place a major curse on the contract, and then Dan or Emma must sign on Hermione's behalf. Then Narcissa Malfoy will sign it tonight, meaning the agreement is in place even if it is not yet finalised. It is then passed to Hermione and Harry, who will then sign it. The Lucius Malfoy must sign the contract in the presence of Rita Skeeter, who will be keeping it. By the way, we will need to draw up a separate contract between Harry and Rita, to ensure that Rita doesn't betray Harry to Malfoy. We can take care of that once we get the details of this one sorted."

Hermione thought for a moment, then cursed the contract before heading back to Hogwarts with Harry, satisfied that the matter had been taken care of.

The next morning, Dumbledore was sitting at the head table when Harry and Hermione arrived for breakfast. He looked extremely unhappy and was staring resentfully at Harry. When that day's Daily Prophet arrived, Dumbledore's face grew even darker.

Boy-Who-Lived Rights A Terrible Unjustice.

By Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and his best friend, Hermione Granger, discovered that a Death Eater had been in hiding at Hogwarts and that the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, knew nothing about it.

After the troll incident, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger were not satisfied with the lack of communication from the teaching staff with and so conducted their own investigation. This investigation lead to the discovery and capture of Peter Pettigrew, who was disguised as a rat and had been living in the Gryffindor boys' dorms for some time.

When the Ministry sent representatives to conduct their own investigation into the troll incident, the two students advised the investigators of their discovery. At that time, they transferred custody of Pettigrew to Amelia Bones, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement, for further investigation, which lead to the discovery of this stunning miscarriage of justice.

Prominent political figure, Lucius Malfoy, was gracious enough to share his thoughts with us. Mr. Malfoy said, "These two students should be awarded Order of Merlin, Third Class, for their stubborn pursuit of the truth and the protection of their fellow students." Minister Fudge expressed his support of Mr. Malfoy's suggestion, but was unwilling to be quoted directly.

All of this begs the following questions: Should such an obviously ineffectual individual as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, and HeadMaster of Hogwarts, our premier magical school be responsible for the wellbeing of our children? He has been holding three separate full-time and highly prestigious positions simultaneously for several years. But can anyone continuously manage three critically important positions and perform them all, to the best of his ability, with any level of efficiency? And dare we even imagine what else might be going on, right under Albus Dumbledore's nose?

Dumbledore, McGonagall and his cadre of supporters were staring at Harry and Hermione with blatant anger. Several students were staring at them as well, not knowing what to think as many of the professors were angry at them, and yet they were likely to soon be awarded an Order of Merlin. Percy and Ron were both highly pissed off. Not only had they missed out on an opportunity for fame, but they now realized where Scabbers had gone. The looks they were getting from their fellow Gryffindors made it clear that they had also made the connection between the article and Ron's missing rat.

After breakfast, Ron, Neville and Draco walked up to Harry and Hermione.

"You stole my pet!" Ron accused Harry and Hermione.

"How could we have possibly stolen your rat? You've been telling everyone who would listen for weeks that Scabbers was dead," Harry pointed out, subtly shielding Hermione with his body, just in case the confrontation should escalate to physical violence.

"You must have stolen my rat, he was the only rat in the Gryffindor dorms!"

"I beg to differ. When we found the traitorous rat, it was in the company of several of its kin. Must have something to do with all those raucous parties in the Gryffindor dorms, eh?"

Draco Malfoy smirked and finally could not hold it any longer.

"Gryffindor seems to have a serious pest problem. It makes sense, they've always had a weasel problem, now the rats have joined in."

"Shut up, Ferret. I was talking to Potter and Granger."

"Hey, at least I wasn't hiding a traitor in my house dorms. Not to mention sleeping with him. You were sleeping with him, weren't you?"

"At least I take less time than your average girl getting ready in the morning. Exactly how long does it take to get your hair ready? One hours or two? More maybe?"

"I thought we agree that was off limits!" Malfoy angrily stalked back to the Slytherin table.

"You two owe me a new pet for using my old one to grab so much attention for yourselves."

"We will catch you a new rat from the Gryffindor dorms to replace the one you lost."

Before Ron could retort, the Weasley twins arrived.

"Is our dear little brother causing trouble again?"

Do we need to call Peeves to give you another lesson?"

Ron and Neville glared at the twins before they stomped off in a huff.

"Thanks Fred, George." Harry said in gratitude.

"No problem, thank you for not mentioning our family and implicating us in the scandal."

"No problem, but I think the cat is officially out of the bag."

"Yeah, our little Ronniekins."

"Doesn't know how to keep his trap shut."

A little later, Professor Flitwick came over to Harry and Hermione.

"The Headmaster wants to see you both at once. His office is currently occupied, so he is using the classroom closest to it as a temporary office. I am sorry I cannot accompany you, as I have a class to teach right now. If you need someone to go with you, I believe Professor Sprout is free."

"That's fine, we'll deal with it ourselves."

They start packing their things and left to go to the meeting. Harry and Hermione checked to make sure they had their Basilisk armour on properly and the protective necklaces to ward off any attempted mental invasions. Harry then checked to make sure he had the fake Elder wand on his person before knocking on the classroom door.

"Come in, Harry and Hermione. Thank you for coming. Please take a seat."

Harry and Hermione sat down.

"Do you mind telling me why you thought it was necessary to hand over Peter Pettigrew to the Magical Law Enforcement before reporting the situation to one of your professors?"

"Frankly, we don't trust you."

"I think you two are getting entirely too close to each other. As your magical guardian and Headmaster, I am having the two of you separated and so you are forbidden from seeing each other. Outside of your classes, of course."

Harry and Hermione both stood up.

"You can't do that."

"Yes I can. Not only that, but you will be serving three months detention, each. Harry, you will be serving your detentions with Professor McGonagall and, Hermione, you will be serving yours with Mr. Filch."

"I don't think so. We will be reporting this to the Hogwarts Board of Governors and to Minister Fudge. I don't think you will be keep either of those positions or many of your others much longer." Harry said, turning to leave with Hermione following suit. While their backs were turned, Professor Dumbledore struck, firing stunning spells at them both, followed with Obliviates and loyalty charms in quick succession. Thanks to the body armour and protective necklaces, the spells had absolutely no effect and Harry immediately whirled around to stun and disable the startled headmaster.

As soon as Dumbledore was out for the count, Harry seized the Elder Wand replaced it with the broken fake. Hermione used Windgardium Leviosa to place Dumbledore back in his chair, but leaning back to the point of fallng. Harry then Oblivated Dumbledore, erasing their entire encounter, then he and Hermione quickly stepped out of the room. Harry knocked loudly on the door to wake Dumbledore, and they heard him come crashing down. They race into the room to find Dumbledore on the floor, rubbing his head. Hermione let out a gasp, then pointed right in front of him.

"What happened to your wand, sir?" Dumbledore looked down at his broken wand with dismay, then went into shock.

"Are you alright, sir?" Hermione asked, soliticiously.

"I am fine. The fall must have rattled me."

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Harry asked.

"No, it is nothing. Could you please not mention my broken wand to anyone? It is quite embarrassing to lose one's wand in such a clumsy manner."

"We will happily keep your secret, as long as you agree not to interfere with us," Hermione suggested.

"Okay, deal." Professor Dumbledore said, reluctantly.

"Deal." Harry and Hermione say in unison.

With that agreement, they quickly left and Harry turned to Hermione with relief.

"I thought we were going to argue with him again. I would've been forced to carry out my threat."

"I think the fall combined with the loss of his wand has him in shock."

"So you thought you would take advantage of his temporary lapse?"

"Yes. We want him off our backs without killing him or using a spell that could be tracked back to either of us."

"Tell me again why we just don't kill him?"

"We don't want him to become a martyr. It's a much better idea to destroy his reputation. This way the light side will be forced to find themselves a new leader with no connection to Dumbledore. If it doesn't work out the way want, then we will go to plan B. That's when we leave Britain entirely and let the Light and Dark sides battle it out between themselves. Then we can return to destroy the remnants of both sides, then establish a brand new order."

"That's why you told me to leave Voldemort's mind relatively intact instead of destroy it."

"Yes."

"Do you have a plan C and D?"

"Maybe." Hermione said, in a sneaky kind of way.

"You do so have plans C and D," Harry laughed, as Hermione started to run down the corridor to their class.

At lunch, Harry and Hermione slipped off to visit the Grangers again. They were going to have lunch there so one of them could be on hand to take possession of Dobby from Doug. Both Harry and Hermione had missed Dobby terribly and thought it was well worth taking the risk of going during lunch to go get him. Harry was also taking the opportunity to pick up the books they had stolen from Dumbledore's office. It was perfect timing, really, because they could return them that afternoon during the Board of Governors meeting. They found Emily fast sleep in her tent, understandably exhausted after making copies of all those books. They decided to look for Alice instead, but couldn't find her, so they settled for Ashley.

"Where is everyone?" Harry said to Ashley

"Alice is busy training, Emily's getting some much-needed rest, Dan and Emma are having a busy day at the dental surgery and Doug has not come in today," Ashley replied, while carefully preparing ingredients to be added to the potion she was working on.

"I think that maybe you should read or work on your paper rather than make potions today. Since there's no one around, it isn't safe for you to be brewing without someone withing yelling distance," Hermione said.

"I actually prefer working alone. The quiet allows me to concentrate on what I'm doing and there are far fewer interruptions."

"Don't blame us if you get injured. I did try to warn you. Maybe when Doug turns up, you can get him to add safety ward around the potion lab to alert us if you should get injured and need help."

"Okay if there is nothing else. I really need to get back to that potion."

Harry and Hermione head back to Hogwarts after picking up the box of stolen books and storing it in the kitchens before attending afternoon classes. After dinner, Harry took advantage of the lack of teachers created by the Board of Governors meeting to return the books while Hermione held her usual daily study session. Harry turned up partway through and joined them. A little after the study session had ended, Professor Flitwick tracked them down at the library.

"I knew that you two would be anxious to learn what happened at the Board of Governors meeting. As soon as it was over, I came straight here," Professor Flitwick said, collapsing exhaustedly on a nearby chair.

"Tough meeting?"

"You wouldn't believe how tough, Mr. Potter."

"Did they ask you a lot of questions?"

"We were all grilled by the board, Professor Quirrell in particular, but Professor Dumbledore's experience wasn't much better. In the end, Professor Quirrell was severely reprimanded and was informed that his contract will not be renewed next year, while Professor Dumbledore was reprimanded and also put on probation. The only positive to come out of the meeting was that you two are going to be receiving an award for special services to the school."

"We did what we had to to protect ourselves and our fellow students, sir. By the way, what is happening with the third floor?"

"I cannot tell you, but I did bring it up during the meeting. Unfortunately, Dumbledore immediately shot down my suggestion of removing the traps. He claimed that it is not safe to remove the traps while students are still on the premises, saying that he did not wish to risk another troll gaining access to the school," Professor Flitwick said, sheer frustration written on his face.

"You did all you could, sir."

"I wish I could do more. I'm certain that there are board members currently under the influence of Dumbledore's loyalty charm, but I can't prove it. The detection charm we would need to use prove it isn't a standard charm accepted by the Ministry, so they will not trust the results. And I am not on friendly enough terms with them to remove it without obtaining prior approval. Dumbledore is truly getting desperate, it will not surprise me if he manages to charm the entire board to bend them to his will."

"Do any of the other professors have a strong enough relationship with the board to help you?"

"Only Professor McGonagall, and you know she will not help us."

"Why don't you get some rest and think on it for a while?" Hermione suggested.

"You might be right. Good night Harry, Hermione," Professor Flitwick said before taking his leave..

Later that night ,Harry took the acromantula hunting party out to survey the Forbidden Forest, taking care to straying too close to centaur territory. They were nowhere near prepared to confront the centaurs at the moment, but they had high hopes of thinning out the forest's acromantula population, going a long way towards winning the centaurs' approval.

After capturing a few spiders for processing, Harry and the hunting party called it a night.

A/N Thank you for all your reviews.

Responses to your Reviews

Cassandra30 Neville is just too weak. He is following Ron like a lost puppy which makes it impossible for Harry and Hermione to help him. So he gets punished with Ron.

Hermione and Harry does have some friends from the study group that Hermione leads during the weeknights but but they keep to each other. Since they have plans to leave Hogwarts in the future if they can.

Snape has been responsible for the decline in the potion making skills in Britain for a decade due to his inability to teach and his bias activity. He should taught for a few years to satisfy Dumbledore then left the country to escape Dumbledore's control.

Saberwulf

I have not decided whether to break up the story into the time when they are at Hogwarts and the sequel when they are at Salem Institute. Since it spans the entire 7 years of their magical education.

Harry and Hermione are friends at the moment but they will be come a couple later on.


	19. Chapter 18 Dobby

Chapter 18

The next few days went by with nothing major happening. There was no investigation into the fireworks that had isolated the headmaster's office as Dumbledore didn't much care to explain the various highly illegal monitoring devices that had been destroyed. Dumbledore wasn't seen at meals and rumors were flying that he was doing his very best to save his political hide. This absence was used by the professors who were not aligned with Dumbledore to tease the opposing side. The growing hostility between the professors were kept from the students as much as possible.

Harry and Hermione were under very close scrutiny in class by their professors, but were generally left alone after class. Ron, Draco and Neville were still far more focused on each other than on Harry and Hermione, much to their relief. There was no mention of the award for services to the school, but the newspaper was still heavily campaigning for Harry and Hermione to be awarded the Order of Merlin. Support really started gathering pace when it was pointed out that the person they captured happened to be a killer of thirteen Muggles, a traitor and a Death Eater.

On Saturday, they woke up early to visit the Grangers. They really wanted Dobby back, but Doug had been avoiding work all week. Alice had assured them that Doug would be in today or she would personally drag him in by his ear. When Harry and Hermione showed up at her parents' home, Doug still hadn't shown up, Emily was busy working with the cabinetmaker on the vanishing cabinet project and Hermione's parents were off on another round of house-hunting. So Hermione got to work teaching Ashley more of Snape's improved potions while Harry started working to devise a toilet setup for the Basilisk. At midday, Doug had still not arrived, so Alice went to his apartment and brought a reluctant Doug to the Granger house.

As soon as he got in Hermione looked Doug straight in the eye and demanded. "Where have you been?"

"I have been busy looking for the things you requested." Doug replied with as much charm and innocence as he could muster.

"That is a load of rubbish and we both know it. We know that for the rare items that you can't find, you pass the request on to the Outcast organisation and they get it for you. That is what Alice did on your behalf when she was filling in the Weasley orders, so she will receive what would have been your cut this week." Doug looked away in shame for a moment before trying another tack.

"That's not how I do it. I go straight to the source and try to get it from them to get a better deal," Doug said, thinking quickly in an attempt to cover his backside.

"This is a better way, as we didn't notice any difference in price between what you're getting it for and what the organisation was able to get it for. It is faster and uses less time. Unless you have been keeping the difference for yourself." Hermione said, clearly not buying his feeble explanation.

So Doug tried something else. "I have also been expanding my network of contacts."

"Have they given us anything useful?" Hermione asked.

"No, but it is early days yet."

"We did not hire you for that. The only outside contact you need besides the Outcast organisation is Rita Skeeter and that would be quite rarely, as I doubt she cares to be seen with you."

"Rita did contact me to tell me that Sirius was now at St. Mungos recovering from his Azkaban ordeal. Remus was there as soon as Sirius arrived at the hospital. In fact, Remus is constantly at Sirius' side, since he's not able to find work and the work we gave him has completely dried up," Doug said, desperately trying to redirect the conservation.

"I very much doubt that the communication lasted all of Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays and Thursdays are your days off, unless we need you, and then you are to be compensated for your time as your employment contract stipulated. So, again, what else have you been doing, Doug?" Hermione said, clinically.

"I have being moving house and celebrating," Doug admitted in defeat, realizing that he couldn't win against a truly determined Hermione.

"With our house elf to help you."

"Yes," Doug said, quietly.

"And without asking our permission first," Hermione stated.

"Yes,"" Doug admitted in an even quieter voice, head hanging low in shame.

"I hope you did not overwork the little guy?"

"He has been a great help. All I got him to do was move some stuff and clean the place. Any repairs I did myself."

"Where is Dobby?"

"Dobby."

"Yes, master," Dobby said upon arrival..

"What did you do for Doug, Dobby?" Hermione asked.

"Dobby cleaned, moved, cooked, washed for good master." Dobby replied happily.

"Dobby, who freed you from the Malfoys?"

"Master did, he is so great."

"Doug!" Hermione screamed "You are to transfer Dobby to Harry immediately or else!"

"Dobby, this is Harry Potter. Do you want to be owned by Harry?"

"You are the Great Wizard Harry Potter. Killed evil wizard as a baby." Dobby said admiringly..

"Yes," Harry agreed, smiling down at the little elf.

"I will love to be the Great Harry Potter's house elf! Dobby is very honoured. I will do a very good job. I will work very hard. But I like Master Doug too, as he helped me get away from the evil master Malfoy."

"He did no such thing! We did that, he was supposed to act only as our go-between. Doug, you are to transfer Dobby to Harry right this second! Hermione yelled.

Doug quickly transferred Dobby.

"Dobby, you are never to take an order from Doug ever again. We are the ones who paid to get you away from the abusive Malfoys. Do you understand?" Harry asked.

Dobby nodded.

"You are to get one galleon a week and one day off per month." Harry said.

"That is too much, Harry Potter sir. I don't need to be paid or get time off." Dobby replied

"As my house elf, you do. And you will be representing me, so you will need a uniform. Not clothes, but a uniform to show that you work for me. You also not to punish yourself, but tell us if you did something wrong so that we can correct together. Is there anything else, Hermione?" Harry stated, leaving no time for Dobby to protest.

"If he does not want to do something, he has to tell us so that we can make alternate arrangements."

"Dobby, you will also listen to what Hermione says, just as if I spoke it." Harry said.

"Alice, can you please take Dobby shopping for his room? He will be staying in Doug's old room in the tent. Can you also get him different uniforms for different occasions and anything else he needs? Of course, we will pay for it all," Hermione said, while Dobby stood there in shock.

"I can go right now. For the uniforms, do you have a particular preference in style?" Alice asked.

"I think something with the Potter Crest on it, that would be good. If you can find it, of course," Hermione said, after some thought.

"Okay. I don't think that will be too much of a problem." Alice replied.

"Dobby, why don't you follow Alice to get what you need?" Harry said.

"But what if you need me, Master?" Dobby asked, obviously uncertain about this arrangement.

"If I need you, I will call for you, but I doubt if I'll need to interrupt your little shopping trip," Harry responded. Alice left with a sobbing Dobby to go shopping. As soon as they left, Hermione turned her attention back to Doug.

"So, Doug, what punishment should we give you for taking off work and using our house-elf without permission?"

"Nothing," Doug said hopefully.

"Not going to happen. I think you need to clean the Basilisk manure from rest of the Chamber of Secrets. That will be your punishment for not showing up for work without informing us first. As for borrowing Dobby, you will be helping my parents renovate the new place they are getting," Hermione said in her most intimidating voice, blatantly daring Doug to refuse or argue.

Doug gulped and nodded his head.

"Cheer up, we won't be as mean as last time and leave you all by yourself in the Chamber. Instead, every time Harry goes to the Chamber, you'll be going too."

"I think my following Harry into the Chamber might give people the wrong idea," Doug said in jest.

"I mean the Chamber of Secrets, you daft idiot."

"I would prefer following Harry into the toilets to going back into the Chamber of Secrets."

"Sorry, Doug, I don't swing that way," Harry said in response.

"It is your choice, either the Chamber of Secrets or you're fired." Hermione informed him.

"Chamber of Secrets." Doug said in a quiet voice with his head down.

"Now that that is out of the way, what else did Rita tell you?"

"Nothing much," Doug said in relief.

"What about the contract between Harry and Rita?" Hermione asked.

"It is just your basic agreement for enforcing the Malfoy contract. I have it right here." Doug said, pulling a contract from his robes and handing it to Hermione. Hermione quickly read it over before passing it to Harry.

"What is the consideration?" Hermione asked, in reference to the contract.

"She said it was the money we paid her." Doug replied.

"So what do you think, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"It's good. You should sign it." Hermione replied. Harry signed the contract, made a copy of the signed contract and passed the original back to Doug.

"Do you have the Malfoy contract for us to sign?" Hermione asked. Doug removed another contract from his robes and passed it over to Hermione. Hermione checked the contract thoroughly before signing her name and passing it to Harry for him to sign. Again, Harry signed it, made a copy and gave the original back to Doug.

"Doug, why don't you buy another expanded trunk and meet me back here at 1:30 p.m. tonight to go to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry said. Doug nodded and quickly left before anyone could stop him.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh. "Doug's becoming a real problem."

"I know. I think it's time to get him to sign one of our cursed contracts. Either that, or we fire and Obliviate him," Hermione agreed, clearly disgusted with their errant employee.

"I don't think we have a choice. Maybe we should have all of our employees sign one, that way Doug won't realize he's being singled out."

"Sounds good. I'll start working on the contracts right now," Hermione said, immediately pulling paper and pens from her bag.

Harry made himself useful working on the Basilisk toilet.

Later that night, Harry proceeded to the Chamber of Secrets balancing the toilet device across his shoulders, with a scared Doug in tow, carrying a trunk containing the stunned Acromantulas. As soon as Harry made it to the mouth of the passage, Harry called out loudly in parselmouth.

"Good evening, Basilisk. It is Harry and my scaredy-cat friend, Doug."

"Good evening, friend Harry. I am closing my eyes, you can come in ."

Harry and Doug entered the Chamber of Secrets.

"I have some new food for you to try."

"I was getting bored with the food you had been providing, there was no challenge involved in obtaining it. Am I getting Doug as a snack?" The Basilisk sounded rather hopeful.

"No, sorry, I'm afraid I still need him. But I brought a few Acromantulas for you to try." Harry opened the trunk and removed one of the huge stunned spiders. He used Renervate to revive the creature, wand at the ready, just in case it should decide to attack. Fortunately, the Acromantula took one look at the Basilisk and immediately made a run for it."

The Basilisk didn't even attempt to go after it.

Harry, confused, asked, "Aren't you going to catch and eat it?"

"I give a chance to escape before I hunt and kill it."

"Whatever. Just don't take too long. I need you to try that one before we leave, so I can release more if you like it."

"I won't take too long. I just want to do something to Doug that I found rather enjoyable."

"You won't hurt him, will you?"

"No."

"I will get everything set up and then I'll leave you to your entertainment." Harry started setting up the toilet he designed while Doug went into the tent to change into his shoveling gear. When Doug's back was turned, the Basilisk followed silently behind with his eyes closed, using its sense of sound and taste to guide it. As soon as Doug was nude, the snake lazily licked him from head to toe. Doug shrieked like a little girl and fled the tent, still completely nude.

He rushed to hide behind Harry, who was having none of it. "Sorry, mate, but I'm not interested in you that way."

Doug belatedly noticed his state of undress and turned red from head to toe, rushing to cover his privates as best he could before looking towards the now-empty tent. Harry could hear the Basilisk's hissing laughter and grinned to himself. So Harry strode over to the tent, Doug right on his heels. As soon as Harry entered the bedroom that Doug had been changing in, the Basilisk slipped into the room Doug was using now and licked him again.

"I think it's all clear, so why don't you finish changing in here?" Harry said, amused by the Basilisk's antics.

Doug changed clothing in record time and started shoveling as quickly as he could.

After Harry had finished setting up the toilet, the Basilisk returned from his Acromantula hunt.

"MMM, the spider was nice and crunchy. I want more."

The Basilisk undulated over to Harry, very pleased with its meal.

"I like this prey, its lots of fun to catch without being too dangerous for me. It tastes much better too."

"I will release the others just before I leave so you can have fun chasing them."

"It would be good to have such entertainment when you're not here."

"To keep it nice for you down here, I've designed a place where you can shite and still keep the Chamber clean."

"Where is the area?"

Harry showed the Basilisk where he had placed a large funnel connecting to a trunk that will open when the snake does its business. He explained to the Basilisk how it works and why it should use it. It took a little while to convince the Basilisk try out the new arrangement, but it finally agreed.

For now, however, the Basilisk couldn't resist pushing a pile of shite down onto Doug as he shoveled away, half in the trunk and half in the chamber. Doug did his best to take advantage of the Basilisk's shoving it in his direction. Every time the Basilisk would shove more shite onto Doug, more than half of it went directly into the trunk. A few times, Doug needed Harry help him climb out of the smelly dung-filled trunk, but it was still much faster than straight shoveling, so Doug didn't really complain too much, at least not in Harry's hearing. After Harry had finished with everything he had come there to do, Harry and Doug left for the night, taking a moment to awaken the Acromantulas before leaving the Basilisk to finish its meal.

At lunchtime the next day, Harry went back to the Grangers, having missed breakfast as he had slept in after spending a long night in the Chamber. Hermione was already awake and there, having chosen not to stay up late the night before.

"Hi Doctors Granger, Hermione," Harry yawned his greetings.

After they greeted him in turn, Harry asked, "How is the house-hunting going?"

"It's going great. We found a derelict and rundown unlisted 16th century manor house that we really like. It has one acre of land and several outbuildings, and its just outside of Crawley. We just love it," Emma said excitedly.

"There would be a great deal that would need to be done to get it into working condition, but, as you said, magic will go a long way to help fix what needs fixing. We're going to see our lawyers on Monday about making an offer on the place," Dan added.

"That's great. And we already have our first volunteer to help you repair the place. That would be Doug."

"What has that man done now?" Dan wondered aloud.

"He didn't turn up for work for several days and didn't inform anyone. He used Dobby to help him move without asking us. So we've decided to have all of our employees sign the cursed contacts we designed," Hermione told them, handing her parents the new contracts she had written out.

"How are you going to get them to sign?" Emma asked.

"I think, with Doug and Emily, we will give them a portion of their bonus for agreeing to sign. For Alice and Ashley, we will agree to teach them the copying spell. The hunters will be asked to sign before they're paid. And every new employee will sign when they're hired."

"How about the Outcast school professors?"

"Did they agree to work with us?"

"They jumped at the chance."

"Once we teach Alice the copying spell, she can start building them a library of the more common books for now."

"How about the money to fund their research?"

"We're have several streams of income we'll soon be able to use for that. The Room of Lost Things is not making any money now, we stopped doing that since we no longer trust Remus. Dobby should have all the stuff moved from the room to the sorting tent by the end of the week, and we'll start putting everything we can't sell or use back into the room. We are not selling Basilisk parts anymore, we're using most of them in our potions. Our new potion business is growing, but it will grow more in time. We made some money from the acromantula venom and silk. But our biggest money maker right now is the Basilisk shite. So it should be alright. We'll hopefully have new income sources coming online soon. How is the investing going, Dad?" Hermione asked.

"It's going good for now, but you can't rely on maybes."

"We aren't, if we need money we can always sell more of the Basilisk parts. We are not selling it in Britain or Europe because we don't want to give corrupt governments money or armour that can be used against us."

With Dan and Emma's assistance, Hermione was able to get everyone to sign the cursed contracts. It took a while to convince Doug to sign, but he eventually caved under their pressure. Emily was delighted with her signing bonus. Alice was thrilled with the book spell she was learning and wanted to start on duplicating the library immediately. Ashley was overjoyed about the complete library the Grangers had and could not care less about the book copying spell. Each hunter was given a small plain basilisk knife upon signing as Harry thought it was only fair.

A/N Thank you to my beta again for her great work.

Thank you to all my reviewers.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

On Monday morning, Snape had finally returned to work after recovering from a severe infection the resulted from the Cerebus bite. He limped to the head table amid loud catcalls and boos coming from three quarters of the students that had arrived early for breakfast, including Harry and Hermione.

For the first time in a week, Dumbledore was also seated at the head table, clearly hoping for a better week. The presence of Dumbledore forced the other professors to put aside their hostilities to display a united front to their students. So when Snape arrived, there were a few polite inquiries about his health and he was welcomed back, even by those who didn't really mean it.

Harry turned to Hermione and whispered, "You should've made the infection even worse."

"I gave him the worst infection I could without actually killing him."

"Damn. Our potions business is going to suffer now that Snape's back."

"No it won't, the dementia will soon make it impossible for him to concentrate enough to prepare his potions ingredients, let alone brew. I hope he does try, he's liable to blow himself up and ruin his reputation as a master of Potions."

"Hm. That's a thought. Maybe we should order something from him that is particularly dangerous to brew."

"We need to wait and give the dementia some time to become more pronounced, then we'll order something that no student could ever make. In fact, I know just the right potion to have Snape brew."

"How long do you think he'll be out of commission?"

"A month, two max. His muscle control would be shot to pieces during that period. His hands will shake and he won't be able to talk because he won't be able to control his tongue. Also, his bladder and bowel control will become non-existent. It'll force Madam Pomfrey to confine him to the infirmary for the duration."

"Perfect. We can do it early next month and have him miss what I assume would be the busiest season for potioneers. The holiday season means loads of orders for hangover cures and contraceptive potions, which will have prices at a premium. It will also keep him out of our way and unable to investigate our activities."

"Harry, the Christmas season actually isn't the busiest season, at least according to Ashley, because people still have time to brew what they need themselves. Around exam and tax time is busiest, when people have their hands full getting their preparations done and don't have time to brew anything."

"Good to know. I'll make sure to avoid Ashley like the plague when that time comes around," Harry said in jest.

At that moment, newspaper delivery owls finally arrived. As Dumbledore scanned the headlines, his expression changed from hopeful to disappointed and finally to utter outrage. Harry quickly skimmed the lead article that was clearly pissing Dumbledore off.

Boy-Who-Lived to Receive Order of Merlin!

by Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter, the famed Boy-Who-Lived, will be receiving the Order of Merlin - Third Class for his apprehension of the dangerous criminal, Peter Pettigrew. The Award will be presented to young Mr. Potter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the following Friday. At the same time, he will also receive an award for Special Services to Hogwarts for his courageous defeat of the troll which threatened him and his fellow students. He best friend, Hermione Granger, will also receive these same awards. We at the Daily Prophet would like to take a moment congratulate both recipients.

Lucius Malfoy was instrumental in lobbying the Wizengamot for these children to recieve their just reward. When the announcement was made, Lucius Malfoy stated, "We need to encourage our children by providing them with better and younger role models. Who better than the two young people who defeated a troll in their first year of magical education and conducted their own investigation for the protection of their fellow students? This award was more deserving than some other recipients," Mr. Malfoy added. I personally believe that last to be a rather pointed dig at Chief Warlock Dumbledore's own award, which has recently been tarnished following the recent revelation that Gelbert Grindelwald was his lover.

The decision to bestow these awards on Mr. Potter and Miss Granger was the result of a very close battle between Mr. Malfoy and Professor Dumbledore. The final vote by the Wizengamot was a true nail biter. The initial round of voting had appeared to go against these brave students, but surprisingly, the tide swiftly turned after Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore left the building.

I have learned that Professor Dumbledore lobbied hard behind the scenes to prevent his students from receiving the award they were due, claiming that they were far too young and that the prestige of the Order of Merlin would be lessened if Mr. Potter and Miss Granger received the award for, and I quote, "so little effort."

Presentation of the Order of Merlin award will be done by our illustrious Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. No word yet on who will be granted the honor of presenting the Special Services to the School award. The Ministry of Magic will make a limited number of tickets available for purchase by members of the general public who wish to attend this special ceremony. Further details will be provided as we learn of them.

Suddenly, Harry and Hermione were surrounded by a flood of congratulations from their fellow students and a few of their professors as well. As things quieted down, Dumbledore stood up and announced, "I would like to congratulate both students on their upcoming awards, but would like to take this moment to remind them that school rules are still to be respected. If they repeat what they did to receive their awards, they will be punished most severely and quite possibly expelled!"

Following this abrupt announcement, Dumbledore strode out of the Great Hall with his clique of supporters trailing in his wake.

Mandy rolled her eyes at the headmaster's dramatics. "Ignore him, I think he's just jealous because he wasn't presented with his award at such a young age. And not only that, but he failed to prevent you two from being awarded, which is proof of his rapidly diminishing power."

"It also reminds everyone that he isn't perfect and has plenty of personal failings. Dumbledore really hates that because he wants people to believe that he is infalliable, invincible and always right. And it's all going to be shoved in his face every time someone disagrees with him. He can't stand to have people questioning his decisions and authority," Lisa added.

Several people nodded in support of this statement.

"He probably wasn't even informed about the awards and it looks like he has no control over who gets to be at the presentation either, since the Ministry has control of selling tickets to the event," Susan chimed in.

Ron stalked over and bit out, "It's not enough that you steal so much attention, now you are getting awards for it. This whole thing makes me sick," he added, pretending to vomit on Harry's shoes.

Harry quickly responded with a hex that sent the redhead scurrying away.

"We don't want you to be sick, so stay away from us. Especially as you eat like a starving werewolf," Harry added, following Hermione out of the Great Hall.

Draco intercepted them on their way to their first class.

"You two owe me for what my father did. I will be coming to collect real soon."

"I wouldn't count on it, Malfoy. Our deal is with your father and your father only. You're not even in our league."

"As if my father would lower himself to do a deal with a Mudblood and a scruffy half-blood. He probably just wanted to get one over on Dumbadork."

"Dumbledore being a complete idiot is something we both agreed on. That might have been the reason why we had a deal. Of course, it might be because of a certain curse that is inflicted on my enemies. Anyway, you're more than welcome to ask him yourself," Harry replied with a smirk.

"As if this curse is real," Draco snorted in derision. "I will certainly ask my father but I very much doubt if this curse of yours is anything for me to worry about."

"Would you like to bet on that?" Harry said, smiling wickedly.

Draco, sensing a set up, thought quickly."Do you really think I would lower myself to actually place a bet with a stupid half-blood like you? Don't make me laugh, Potter. You would probably cheat and renege when you lose. Dregs of society like you have no honor whatsoever." He then turned and left with a sneer pasted on his pale, pointy face.

Hermione silently cast the diarrhea curse at Draco's retreating back and she and Harry went on their way. This was the last they would see of Draco for a while as he seemed to avoid them after that.

Classes were a real nightmare because the professors who continued to support Dumbledore would use any excuse, reasonable or otherwise, to deduct points from Harry and Hermione or to give them detention. They were constantly watched in classes by other students and some of the professors. Even between classes it wasn't much better with all their friends constantly asking about the awards they were getting, even though they had no additional information. Even some students that Harry and Hermione didn't know were asking about the award ceremony.

The worst time for Hermione and Harry was during their daily study group session. All the students wanted to talk about was the award ceremony from who was going to be there, what were they going to wear, why would Malfoy help a Muggleborn student get an award, how could they get tickets to the event, etc. All of which were questions that Harry and Hermione could not answer because they did not know or could not say. The attention they were getting was really limiting their ability to carry out their normal activities. Everywhere they went, someone was always watching them. They couldn't work on making copies of any books because they were constantly interrupted, which made their entire day a complete washout.

On Wednesday morning, the newspaper arrived with the announcement that all the tickets to the awards ceremony had been sold. They had initially planned on a small ceremony, but the demand for tickets proved to be so high that the Ministry decided to turn it into a much bigger event. Added to the proceedings was a special pre-ceremony dinner and even a special guest peformer. Celestina Warbeck accepted the Ministry's invitation to perform, but only because the event was a celebration honouring Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and was widely considered to be the social event of the season.

After breakfast, Professor McGonagall approached the pair with flashing eyes and pinched lips. "We will be going to Diagon Alley this morning to purchase you both some dress robes," she told them snappily.

"Can we have Professor Flitwick take us instead? He is our Head of House and we know how busy you are and that you really don't wish to perform this particular duty," Hermione said, trying to placate their professor while trying for a change of escorts.

"I take time from my busy schedule to arrange this trip and you refuse. Professor Snape is right, you're nothing but a pair of spoiled brats."

"We were not consulted about this trip, so it's not our fault if you made plans that did not agree with us. And your blatant dislike of us is why we much prefer for Professor Flitwick to take us to get our robes," Harry pointed out.

"Fine, you can see if Professor Flitwick will take you." McGonagall said with a sniff, her anger with them plain to see.

Harry and Hermione immediately went to Professor Flitwick.

"How can I help you two this fine morning?" Professor Flitwick said

"Can you please take us to buy our dress robes for the Award ceremony?" Harry asked.

"It cannot be right now, I'm afraid. But later on today, when I have a free period, I will be more than happy to take you."

"Thank you sir, " they said in unison and left.

As soon as they were out of ear shot of Professor Flitwick, Harry called for Dobby.

"How can I help you, Master, Miss Grangy?"

"You can call me, Harry."

"You can call me, Hermione."

"Yes Master Harry, sir, yes Mistress Hermy, madam."

"Just Harry and Hermione."

"Mister Harry, Miss Hermy."

"Okay, that's good enough for now. We'll work on it. Anyway, Dobby, can you go to Alice and ask her to give us enough galleons for two sets of expensive dress robes?"

"Yes Master Harry, sir."

"Just Harry."

"Yes Mister Harry."

"Doesn't matter," Harry groaned in resignation.

"Dobby, can you also get us a trunk with an apartment inside? Ask Alice for money for that too, we're going to need it as we are stuck at the school at the moment." Hermione added.

"Right away, Master Harry, Mistress Hermy," Dobby bowed before popping away.

A little later, Dobby popped back and gave Harry two sacks of gold galleons.

In the afternoon, Professor Flitwick came to fetch them to take them shopping for robes.

"We should go to your place first, Harry, to get permission to go on this shopping trip then we can go to your place Hermione to do the same."

"No, we don't need to go to my old place because the Grangers are now my legal Muggle guardians. By the way, can you please keep that a secret from Professor Dumbledore? We don't want him to interfere," Harry added quickly. He definitely didn't want to see the Dursleys again.

"You will need to tell him sometime, unfortunately. The school needs to know for your records." Professor Flitwick said unhappily.

"I want to wait until the adoption is finalised. That way, Professor Dumbledore won't be able to do anything about it."

"Fine. But as soon as the adoption is completed you will need to file the appropriate paperwork."

"I will make sure he does," Hermione affirmed, which satisfied Professor Flitwick.

"Sir, do you know why Professor McGonagall is so angry with us?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall hates not being in control and the entire award ceremony is outside the control of the Hogwarts professors, including Professor Dumbledore. It is being managed by the Ministry with the approval of the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"Do you know how I can get tickets?" Hermione said.

"I don't know. Your parents will not be allowed as they are Muggles, same with your relatives Harry."

"Trust me, I wasn't planning to invite them." Harry informed him.

"Should we go now?"

"Can you take us to my parents' dental surgery rather than our home?"

"Sure," Professor Flitwick replied.

They then Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron before Professor Flitwick made them a Portkey to an empty alley near the Grangers' dental practice as Hermione had suggested. The office was very busy but as soon as the receptionist saw Hermione, she informed Dan and Emma Granger that their daughter was there. After a short wait, the Grangers came out and hugged they daughter and greeted Harry and Professor Flitwick.

"So what is the emergency?" Dan asked as soon as everyone was seated.

"We need you to give permission for Hermione and Harry to go shopping for dress robes. They need dress robes as they are receiving the Order of Merlin, Third Class, as well as a special school award."

"What is the Order of Merlin?" Dan asked, pretending not to know even though Hermione already told them all about it."

"It is like the Victoria Cross for Bravery, Dad." Hermione replied.

"Congratuations, dear. What did you receive it for?" Emma asked, as Dan gazed fondly at his daughter.

"For catching Peter Pettigrew," Hermione told them.

"That rat you caught?" Dan added.

"Yes."

"They can go," Emma said to Professor Flitwick.

"Can you confirm that you are also the legal guardians of Harry Potter?"

Dan fetched his briefcase from a drawer beneath his desk and withdrew a stack of legal documents. He leafed quickly through them before handing one to Professor Flitwick. Professor Flitwick scanned the document before handing it back, clearly satisfied.

"Do you need any money, dear?" Emma asked.

"No we already got some."

"Are you sure you have enough? Dress robes are expensive." Professor Flitwick asked.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"We should go to Gringotts first. So that Harry can get money out from his trust vault for this and Hermione you can change your muggle money into galleons."

"That won't be necessary, I have plenty of galleons on me.".

"I have my money in galleons already." Hermione added.

"I guess we're ready to go to Diagon Alley, then." Professor Flitwick said before they used the portkey to return Leaky Cauldron.

As soon as they arrived at Diagon Alley, they were bombarded with enthusiastic well-wishers and people who desperately wanted to attend the award ceremony. Once they finally reached Madam Malkins, it wasn't much better as the store was packed full of customers picking out their own robes for the ceremony. Fortunately, Harry and Hermione were given preferential treatment as soon as they arrived. They were quickly measured, chose their styles and colours and were pleased to learn that their dress robes would be sent to them before the ceremony with fitting charms already in place, negating the need for a second refitting. As soon as they paid, they went back to Hogwarts via Floo.

Dobby arrived with their special apartment trunk that night. The trunk was fully furnished and hidden in Harry's dorm. Harry and Hermione would wait inside the trunk while Dobby borrowed books from the library for them, which Harry would then copy and Hermione would use for research. They were both much happier with this arrangement because they didn't need to worry about other students or professors interrupting or questioning them.

On Saturday, they woke up extra early to visit the Grangers.

"Congratulations, Harry and Hermione! I'm so happy to hear about your awards," Emily said as soon as they arrived and everyone else expressed similar sentiments.

Doug then asked. "Is there anyway you can get us tickets?"

"No."

"Damn. Do you know how much those tickets are worth?"

"Don't know and can you get a good magical camera for Dobby so he can take photos of the event for my parents?" Hermione asked.

"Can do."

"Harry, Hermione, we need to speak to you alone. Can we please have some privacy?" Dan said.

The others soon left and only Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma remained.

"Harry, you need to appear in court the following week for a custody hearing."

"When is it?" Harry asked.

"It is Tuesday, 10 December 1991."

"We need to work out a plan to cover my absence," Harry said, turning to Hermione.

"Hm. Let me think on it for a moment." Hermione said.

"Why don't we just Polyjuice Doug to look like me? You'll have to keep him in line, though. He'll probably try to sell Harry Potter autographs, knowing him."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'll get Ashley to give me a completed potion she had made after we are done here and I'll make sure to keep a tight leash on him."

"It's settled then. Is there anything else?" Harry asked Dan and Emma.

"Yes, we want you to have a look at the house that we're in the process of buying. If you don't like it, we can always use it for our magical operations and keep this one as our home. We forgot to show you two before we put in a bid since we were so taken by it."

"When do you want us to go?" Hermione asked.

"Now. We can go after popping by the real estate agent."

"Okay." Harry said, a little uncertainly.

"Believe me, you're going to love it. It is a 16th century manor house with stables, a carriage house and a quaint pergola that you are going to adore," Emma said, practically dragging them to the car.

When they arrived at the house, they were both amazed. The house was a wreck, having remained derelict for nearly an entire century. It had been renovated multiple times, but the most recent owners had been unable to maintain the house and let it crumble to its current pitiable state. The walls were still there with the massive oak beams clearly visible. Part of the roof had fallen in and the red brick chimneys were on the verge of collapse. Dense vegetation had taken over much of the building and the surrounding grounds. It had clearly been a grand old home in its heydey with an enormous entrance hall, panelled dining room, a lounge room slash library, two sitting rooms, a study, a huge conservatory and a massive kitchen. The house, once renovated. would make a very impressive place to entertain guests with its high ceilings from the Georgian period Renovations. The Grangers explained that the necessary renovations would commence just as soon as the sale was completed, which would be very soon because the current owners were desperate to sell, with their financial resources rapidly dwindling due to the truly exorbitant land taxes combined with the recession they were experiencing.

As Harry and Hermione inspected the house, they spotted a number of dark creatures such boggarts, ghosts, doxies, etc. lurking in many of the rooms.

"We'll have to get Doug to capture all of these dark creatures. They might prove very useful as potion ingredients or to hide our activities," Harry said thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded her agreement before progressing with the inspection.

When Hermione saw the view of the West Sussex country side from the upper floor windows. She stopped and paused. It was breath taking but the overgrown trees obscure the magnificent view some what. She could see why her parents fell in love with the place.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked concerned by Hermione's suddenly pause.

"The view from here is fantastic." Hermione said.

"I guess. I am more concerned about the state of the building than the views right about now. It looks like it might fall down any minute." Harry said.

"Remember in the car. Mum said that they had a structural engineer in to look at the place who declared it sound as long as we avoid the chimneys. If it was not safe, my parents would not allow us to look it over unattended." Hermione said as she looked dreamily through the windows.

To satisfy Harry, who was still concerned about the building, they had a looked at the grounds which had a perimeter of trees to provide privacy. The acre of grounds showed signs of a former beauty, with beautiful statues barely visible amid the wildly overgrown vegetation.

"You will be maintaining that garden, Harry"

"No. I won't, you will. Your parents wanted such a big place then it is up to you to maintain."

"They were buying for your sake."

"If you try to make me, I swear I'll concrete the whole thing over."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

"Okay, we will get someone else to do it."

After they had a look around the house and grounds, Harry turned to Dan.

"How much is the house and grounds?"

"300,000 pounds plus another 250,000 to renovate the place if done non-magically. According to Doug and Alice, magical renovations should cost us around 150,000 and will take only about a third of the time. Anything we pay to magical people is non-taxable. So we are going to be trying to have most of the renovations done by magical means."

"Do you trust Doug to manage such an important project, Dad?"

"No, but he is a resourceful little guy who is good with people. Alice and I will be watching him closely to make sure he doesn't get out of line. Most of the work will be done by people from the Outcast organisation and they'll be keeping an eye on him as well."

"Do you know why it is so much cheaper?" Harry asked.

"Everything is so much easier and faster when done magically. Approvals can be obtained by the goblins with no problems, massive cranes and trucks are not needed, supplies arrive by Portkey or apparition and there's no need to wait for things to dry when a drying charm will get the job done in an instant."

"I guess really is much faster and cheaper."

"So what do you think, Hermione?" Emma said excitedly.

"I think it's great. Once the renovations are complete and central heating is installed, I could really live here."

"We're looking into combining old world charm with modern day conveniences and techniques such as underfloor heating and double glazed windows. Once the sale goes through we hope to hire a magical architect to help us design it." Dan said with a dreamy look on his face.

"Anything is fine by me," Harry supplied.

"Don't forget, it's going to be your home too. You're going to be a permanent part of this family very soon, so your input really counts to us," Emma said. Harry started to tear up at the thought of family. His repressed emotions regarding his lonely and unloved upbringing come to the surface and he began to cry. Emma hugged him and Hermione joined in on the hug.

"Let it all out. We're right here for you any time you're ready to talk about your past," Emma said, rubbing Harry's back comfortingly.

"You can't imagine how much I've always wanted a family." Harry said in a quivering tone.

"Well, you have one now," Emma said firmly.

"I will always be here for you like you have always be there for me." Hermione said. Then, a bit tightly, "Well, unless someone drugs us."

When they went back to their current home, they checked on the process everyone had made for the week. Alice had started making copies books for the new library and was learning the details of her job. Ashley was slowly gaining a reputation in the potion-making industry and had finished her first paper, which she had just submitted to the American branch of the Potioneers Guild for review. Emily had successfully made a set of trunks that were very like the vanishing cabinets (which they were going to use for the Weasley twin business) and she was hopeful of completing a full sized set by sometime next week. Doug was back to sorting the stuff from the Room of Lost Things and handling requests from the Weasley twins. Dobby had cleared out the Room of Lost Things and had tidied the entire Granger home.

For the rest of the weekend, Harry and Doug raided Voldemort's remaining stashes even the Albania site using the illegal untraceable port keys found in the Riddle Manor. The wards were easy to defeat with the Deathstick. Harry would take down the wards and protections while Doug examined any possible dark objects and Dobby moved the sorted items back to Alice to catalog. There was so much that Alice still hadn't finished cataloguing from their foray into the Hogsmeade stash, but the weekend was quickly over.


	21. Chapter 20 Award Ceremony

Chapter 20 Award Ceremony

On the days leading up to the award ceremony, Ministry aurors began patrolling the grounds. This forced Hermione to remove the attraction spell on Draco, Ron and Neville as the unlikely trio were highly likely to be discovered by the patrols on one of the trio's nightly escapades, which would probably lead to discovery of the charm she had placed on them and raise some rather inconvenient questions. She used the Marauders' Map to track them, following closely behind with the aid of Harry's invisibility cloak. As soon as they were all in the classroom, she stunned the lot of them and swiftly removed the charms she had placed on them. Hermione was tempted to strip them naked and stick them together in a very compromising position, but it would lead to the questioning of the effectiveness of the auror patrols, which was something she really didn't want. Over the next few days, the trio started to drift apart, much to Hermione's relief.

The day of the ceremony was extremely hectic for the Hogwarts staff. Dumbledore's supporters were boycotting the attendance of the ceremony but they still had to greet arriving guests, help organise the food, help set up the canopy and decor for the event and guard the third floor entrance. Harry launched another debilitating mental attack on Quirrell that afternoon, taking care to make sure that Voldemort would be too exhausted and disoriented to take advantage of the situation.

Many students wanted to attend the event but only the really well-connected students such Draco, Pansy, Daphne, Neville, Susan, Nott, Flint, etc. were permitted to attend. The Weasley twins had made many attempts to get into the canopy area to set up pranks but were repeatedly caught in the act by Professor Snape, who had made a point of following them around all day until he finally had enough and warded them in an empty classroom. Other students also made attempts to sneak in including, surprisingly enough, Percy Weasley. But they all failed to get by the aurors who had been posted to thwart any such interlopers.

As this was to be the event of the season, the entire Wizengamot would be present (even the members who voted against giving Harry and Hermione the award) along with the Hogwarts Board of Governors, all Ministry department heads and the most prominent and influential citizens in wizarding society. The sheltered area was decorated in classiest décor the Ministry and Hogwarts could manage. A band started playing as soon as guests began arriving. At 5:30 p.m. Harry and Hermione entered the sheltered area as directed by a ministry official after being checked by aurors for weapons. All of the attendees who were already there applauded loudly at Harry and Hermione's entrance. Lucius Malfoy immediately went over to greet them, closely followed by an avid gaggle of reporters.

"Welcome, Mr Potter, Miss Granger. I am Lucius Malfoy." Malfoy said.

"A... pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for all your hard work to ensure that we received the awards," Harry said, angling his body to hide the fact that Hermione was palming an alternate wand that Dobby had brought her.

"No need to thank me. I adore children and I wanted to reward the people who were looking out for the students' best interests at Hogwarts."

"We did what any responsible person would do and happened to get lucky. Isn't that right, Hermione?"

"Of course it is."

"Why don't I introduce to you some of the people who helped me get you this award?" Lucius said.

Lucius then introduced them around with Hermione subtly inflicting the diarrhea curse on any Death Eater that Harry happened to meet. About halfway through the guests, Harry and Hermione were surprised to see Sirius and Remus trailing behind. As Lucius was about to introduce Sirius, Remus interrupted him.

"Harry, I really am sorry about what happened. I swear I will pay you back."

"Shut up, you thief. I have nothing to say to you."

"Don't speak to my friend like that." Sirius said angrily.

"Who are you?" Harry said, pretending not knowing him.

"I am Sirius Black, your godfather. Remus would never steal from you, he is not that kind of person." Sirius said, rushing to his friend's defence.

"Then he's not a very good friend if he left you to rot in prison all these years without lifting a finger to help. Just like he did nothing to help the child of a friend who was being abused on a daily basis," Harry growled while glaring at Remus, which made the werewolf flush and glance away,his face filled with guilt.

"I seem to be missing quite a few details." Sirius said, eyes narrowing at Remus who hadn't bothered to deny Harry's claims.

"We should talk later, preferably without this thief around," Harry suggested.

"After the ceremony, then. We can talk while taking a walk around the grounds."

"See you then."

A little before the dinner began, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, turned up with Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge in tow. Harry and Hermione hated having to be polite to people he hated but they knew this was a necessary evil.

"Good Evening, Minister. You reputation proceeds you. I am Harry Potter and this is my best friend, Hermione Granger." Harry said as he indicated Hermione.

"Nice to meet such respectful and responsible members of society," Fudge simpered, shaking Harry and Hermione's hands in turn as cameras flashed all around them.

"Thank you for hosting this event." Harry said politely, even though he wanted to tear him a new one.

"No problem. This is my senior undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, She is my right hand and I don't know what I will do without her." Fudge said, gesturing to the little toad of a woman in garish pink who stood at his side.

"Nice to meet you." Harry and Hermione said in greeting.

"I heard great things about both of you." Umbridge said sweetly while doing her best to hide her dislike for the young Gryffindors..

"Well, we need to move on, so many people to meet tonight, you know," Fudge said quickly, leading Umbridge away.

Harry and Hermione sighed in relief as they left.

The dinner went slowly for the pair as they were forced to endure pointless conservations with people they did not like. Even the constant stream of people going to the toilets due to the hexes that Hermione had fired didn't do much to relieve their utter boredom. Instead they created a game of firing various curses at Umbidge without being detected. First it was a farting curse, then an itching hex and grew worse until a miserable Umbridge was forced to leave.

Minister Fudge gave a long and boring speech before presenting the Order of Merlin, Third Class to Harry and Hermione, followed by a short speech from Professor Dumbledore gave a short speech designed to downplay their achievements before reluctantly handing them the award for Special Services to Hogwarts. As soon as the ceremony was over, Harry headed off to find Sirius while Hermione snuck back into the castle with the Marauders' Map. Professor Dumbledore was busy attempting to gather more support from the more influential guests and so missed seeing Harry walk off with Sirius for their talk.

"How are you, pup?" Sirius asked.

"Good. Sorry about your incarceration. I'm hoping your recovery is going well."

"Alright. My healers say I can leave soon but that I won't be able to return to work as auror. That is, if I wish to return to work as an auror, which is very doubtful considering what happened to me."

"I can certainly understand where you're coming from."

"Who are you staying with now?" Sirius asked.

"The Dursleys." Harry said knowing that this would make Sirius mad.

"Lily's sister Petunia and her family? What idiot made that decision? You were never supposed to go to the Dursleys!"

"Dumbledore decided to leave me with those bastards and he never once checked on me." Harry said angrily

"How did they treat you?"

"My room was a cupboard under the stairs until I moved in with the Grangers. I was forced to do all the chores as soon as I could walk. The healers say I was severely malnourished." Harry told him, his eyes filling with tears.

"I should have never I left you with Hagrid to chase after Peter Pettigrew," growled a furious Sirius.

"I don't blame you. I blame Dumbledore, he put loyalty charms on me and other people. If you want I can check you for loyalty charms and remove them if you have them?" Harry asked.

"Go ahead, Harry," Sirius told him. Harry performed the detection charm and immediately removed a few recent loyalty charms which were keyed to both Dumbledore and Remus.

"You had them too, Sirius, and they were placed on you recently. They were keyed to Dumbledore and Remus."

"Harry, I am so sorry about Remus. I spoke to him earlier tonight about what happened. You have a right to be mad. Just please don't file charges against him, his life is hard as it is and Snivellus and Dumbledore should be the ones paying. He will pay you back but it's going to take him some time."

"Then force him to go find work and stop hanging around you at the hospital. Those are my terms, I won't press charges if he stays away from all of us unless we initiate contact."

"I need someone to help me through this period of recovery, Harry."

"How about the Tonks family?"

"How do you know about them?"

"My parents wrote me a letter telling me that you're my godfather and that you were innocent. When I tried to find you to get away from the Dursleys, I came across their name."

"I will write a letter to Andy tonight and ban Remus and Dumbledore from seeing me at St. Mungo's. I am sorry again for going after Peter instead of taking care of you."

"Just please help Hermione's parents get legal custody of me and apply for magical guardianship over Hermione and myself. I really don't trust Dumbledore at all."

"I don't think I'm in a fit state to be your guardian right now, Harry."

"I am not saying immediately, but soon. Why don't I give you some material about why I think you should never trust Dumb as a Dork." Harry said, just as Hermione emerged from hiding under Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Is that your father's invisibility cloak?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. By the way, Dumbledore tried his best to keep it from me. That's another reason why I don't trust him. Why don't you look through those newspaper articles, legislation voting records and memories we gathered about Dumb as a Dork. Do this as a favour to me as your godson."

"Okay," Sirius said, clearly not looking forward to any more unpleasant revelations.

"Can you come to the Granger house on Sunday? There we can talk much more privately," Harry whispered to Sirius.

"How can you get out of school?"

"We'll tell you if you agree to meet with us on Sunday."

"Okay."

"Without Remus."

"Yes. I can come and go as I like as long. Well, just as long as I return before dark."

Hermione then gave Sirius her address.

"We'll see you on Sunday then. Make sure you look at the material we gave you before you come."

"Okay," Sirius said reluctantly.

Harry and Hermione headed to their dorms and to bed while Sirius returned to St. Mungo's to begin looking through the information. The more he read, the more angry and betrayed he felt. Dumbledore was responsible for Voldemort's uprising along with the deaths of so many innocent people, including his dear friends Prongs and Lily.

The most damning memory was taken from Voldemort. It showed Dumbledore forcing Tom Riddle to go back to the orphanage year after year even though he could have easily placed him with a magical family because several of his classmates families had offered to take the orphan in. The abuse Tom suffered at the orphanage during these times was truly atrocious. His inability to us his magic to defend himself probably made things worse and was probably what led to his utter hatred of Muggles.

When Sirius found out that Snape was the one to tell Voldemort about the prophecy and that Dumbledore knew all along, he was ready hunt both of them down and kill them on the spot. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that if he did so, he would promptly end up back in prison, leaving Harry on his own again and that was something that he would never do if he could help it. The fact that Snape had gone unpunished for so long proved to him exactly how powerful Dumbledore was and that his fake grandfatherly persona had most of the wizarding world completely fooled. From the articles, Sirius was able to see what Harry and Hermione had been trying so hard to do. They were trying erode Dumbledore's massive power base but it was a slow progress with limited success. When went to sleep that night, he planned to go to the Ministry to confirm the information, Hermione had given him. If it was confirmed, he vowed he would do whatever it took to help Harry and Hermione take down Dumbledore.

Harry and Hermione went straight to the Granger house the next morning to show off their rewards. They were greeted warmly by everyone before a private meeting with only Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma present.

"We are so proud of you two." Dan said as Emma hugged Hermione and Dan shook Harry's hand.

"Can we get down to business now?" Hermione asked.

"Alright." Emma agreed.

"I finally met Sirius last night," Harry told them.

"How was it?"

"It was alright. I found out that Sirius had loyalty charms placed on him, just like me."

"Do you think he's really on our side?" Emma wondered.

"Yes. He is coming here tomorrow. That is, if it's alright with you two."

"That'll be fine. What time will he be here?"

"I really don't know."

"You asked him over without suggesting a time and we're expected to stay home all day to accommodate him?"

"I am sorry. He probably here in the morning."

"What if we had plans? Someone really needs to teach you a little social etiquette."

"Hermione was there too," Harry defended, while Hermione looked away guiltily.

"Hermione, what did we teach you?" Emma said.

"Do you want us to move the meeting to a different day?" Harry said, attempting placate Emma.

"No. Next time talk to us before setting up a meeting, please."

"Okay. We promise." Harry agreed.

"Do we need to do anything to prepare for this meeting?" Emma asked.

"No, not really."

"What issues do you want to cover at this meeting?"

"We want Sirius to agree to be our magical guardianship instead of Dumbledore, with you two as our guardians in the Muggle world."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"The next step in our plan to take down Dumbledore and Voldemort."

"That is your prerogative. In that regard, we are happy to announce that we were able to purchase 15% of the largest wizarding newspaper in the United States. The Outcast organisation has agreed to act as our representatives in the US."

"That's great, when did this happen?"

"It's still not completely finalised because we still have to pay for our share, but the contracts were signed yesterday."

"How much did it cost us?"

"Ninety-five thousand Galleons or four hundred seventy-five thousand pounds."

"Can we really afford that?" Harry asked, remembering Dan's speech about money.

"Definitely. The income we are generating from the Basilisk shite, the potions business, the partnership with the Weasley twins and the acromantula product sales are generating more than enough to cover all of the employee wages and the other expenses we have going out. Plus, we got a great deal of money from the raids you and Doug did last weekend."

"How much did we get on those raids anyway?"

"Wait right here, I'll find a summary of what was recovered," Dan said, rummaging about for the copies Alice made of the items confiscated from the stashes they had found.

Hogsmeade had only twenty thousand galleons but they had heaps of medical supplies, potion ingredients, spare wands, auror uniforms, badges and weapons. There were no books, muggle money or other valuables at that site. Everything was jumbled together making it impossible for Alice to count until she sorted everything. The site was a staging area for an attack on Hogwarts that had never occurred.

Nott Manor had thirty-five thousand galleons and thirty-five thousand pounds. It had some valuables, both muggle and magical in origin, including several rare tomes. There was the usual assortment of potion ingredients, medical supplies, spare wands and weapons.

The Carrow estate and the Avery family's holiday home had the same as Nott Manor except it had only twenty thousand galleons and twenty thousand pounds each.

Hepzibah Smith 's old home and Borgin & Burke's had only ten thousand galleons and ten thousand pounds each. They also had a spare wand for Voldemort and some fake identification documents.

The castle in Albania was the best of the lot in terms of monetary value. It had fifty thousand galleons and fifty thousand pounds in various muggle currencies including US dollars, French francs, etc. It was filled with valuables both magical and muggle including three pensieves the size of the one Dumbledore had. There were rare muggle books that would be worth a fortune in the open market.

In total they had netted one hundred sixty-five thousand galleons and one hundred and forty-five thousand pounds in muggle currencies. So a grand total of nine hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds or one hundred and ninety-four thousand galleons. Doug's cut was nineteen thousand galleons, Emily's cut was ten thousand galleons, another ten thousand galleons was going to be shared by the other employees but they did not need to know that. Also, the Outcast School would recieve twenty-nine thousand galleons for R&D and their new library. The Grangers were left with ninety-seven thousand galleons and one hundred forty-five thousand pounds to use for their other projects.

"Are we going to give it now or are we going to wait until later?" Harry said after looking at the figures.

"We are going to wait until at least Christmas for Doug. We'll give Emily her share today because she has successfully made the first full-size vanishing cabinet with the professional cabinetmaker on Thursday. So it would be like a bonus for her successes. In regards to the Outcast school, we will give it to them today as well but we are withholding part of the money to pay for the blank books and Alice's work. All the rest can be dealt with at a more convenient time."

Harry and Hermione went to check out the new vanishing cabinet under the watchful eye of Alice, who had created it. After Harry and Hermione were satisfied with it, it was was shipped off to a the international port for priority delivery to a US warehouse owned by the Outcast Organisation. It would take a fortnight to arrive as no magical means of transport could be used for the transportation as it interferes with the natural magical field of the cabinet itself.

For the rest of the day, Harry made up more darts for the acromantula hunters with Doug's help while Hermione went off to try out the mining techniques she had developed from all of her research in the Room of Requirement and Alice worked on another copy of the vanishing cabinet. While Hermione's parents was meeting the Outcast Leadership to give them the money for the Outcast school, Sirius was busy at the Ministry verifying the information he had been given. Sirius was outraged to discover that every bit of it was true.


	22. Chapter 21 Sirius

**Chapter 21 - Sirius**

On Sunday, Harry and Hermione spent the day getting to know Dan and Emma as they waited for Sirius to arrive. At 11 that morning, Sirius turned up alone at the Granger abode.

"You must be Sirius Black. Welcome to our home, Mr. Black. I am Emma Granger." Emma said, greeting Sirius warmly as she invited the wizard into their home.

Sirius quickly took Emma's hand and said, "It is a true pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman," before kissing the back of her hand. Emma drew her hand away and gestured to the bemused man standing just behind her.

"This is my husband, Dr. Daniel Granger." Sirius shook Dan's hand ruefully. "Nice to meet you too. Please call me Sirius."

"A pleasure. Please call me Dan and you may call my wife Emma. That is, if you promise not to hit on her again."

"She is such a beautiful woman, so I'm not sure I can keep that promise. But I will try to keep it a minimum."

"I guess that will have to do for now. Why don't you follow me to the lounge? Harry and Hermione are waiting for us." Dan lead Sirius and Emma to the lounge and the two youngsters stood up to greet him.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Black."

"Lovely to see you again, Miss Granger."

"Good to see you again, Sirius. Thank you for coming to visit us." Harry smiled.

"No problem, I am your godfather after all. By the way, thank you for getting me out of that wretched prison."

"No problem. You did not deserve to be there, unlike a few others I could name. Have you had a chance to look over the material we gave you?"

"Yes. I was shocked and appalled by the information you provided me. Professor Dumbledore was someone my friends and I always respected and trusted completely. To find out everything we thought we knew about him was a lie was unbelievably upsetting."

"Now you can see why I wanted to change my magical guardianship as soon as possible and and Hermione's as well. If Dumbledore wasn't such a bad guy, none of this would be necessary at all."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Why don't I get to know you two before we commit ourselves to a set course of action. We would definitely lose if I was to apply for your magical guardianship right off."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Lucius Malfoy has agreed to help us in that regard."

"What are you doing dealing with that Death Eater?" Sirius yelled, outraged.

"Don't worry we are not really friends with any Death Eaters. We only dealt with him to assist us in changing our magical guardianship in exchange for us keeping our mouth shut about some of his... activities."

"You two are entirely too young to deal with a predator like Lucy Malfoy."

"We had help from some magical adults and my parents looked over the contract." Hermione added, attempting to placate the visibly angry Sirius.

"So you are not Death Eater supporters?"

"We can honestly say that we are definitely not Death Eater supporters and will never be. Do you want me to sign a magical contract to prove that?" Harry asked.

"Besides, I am a Muggleborn. Do you honestly believe that I would ever support the Death Eaters?" Hermione added.

"Dealing with Lucius Malfoy is a very strange thing for anyone on the side of the Light," Sirius remarked.

"We are only using him and we're a bit more grey than dark or light."

"You know it can be incredibly dangerous to play around with the Dark Arts, Harry."

"I swear to you, we are not using the Dark Arts. We do read about them so we know how to counter it when necessary, but we don't actually practice it. When we say grey, I mean our actions are grey in some respects."

Sirius frowned. "In what ways are you actions grey?"

"When the Ministry fails to punish the guilty, we've been administering our own brand of justice."

"So you two are vigilantes?"

"Sometimes. We were just so pissed off that justice wasn't happening that we have personally taken a few steps to ensure that justice is carried out. By the way, that's how you ended up being freed."

"I guess I can't complain as I benefited from your activities."

"Do you want to get involved?"

"Depends on a number of things. Like exactly what are you trying to achieve."

"We are trying to get equality for all magical beings, including house elves, centaurs, goblins, etc. as we work towards taking down Dumbledore."

"When you put it like that there is no way you could keep me out. So what have you done and what are you planning to do?"

"We created a marriage contract between ourselves to counter any attempt by Dumbledore to set us up with people of his choosing."

"Aren't you a bit young to be thinking of those things? And what happens if you become attracted to someone else?" Sirius asked, concerned for his godson.

"We need to take action early to short-circuit any moves that Dumbledore might be planning to make. If we do become attracted to someone else in the future, then we simply nullify the contract. But it does require a full, clean medical scan for the contract to be voided."

"That is smart."

"Hermione is the smartest girl in school, which is how we outsmarted Lucius." Harry said proudly as an embarrassed Hermione blushed.

"It's a good thing we have you on our side. I'll be thatEmma is no slouch in the brains department either as Hermione had to inherit from someone." Sirius said, flirting with Emma again. Dan was a bit upset but could tell that Sirius was only teasing and that Emma wasn't remotely interested.

"Moving on, we've hired Rita Skeeter to dig up any dirt on Dumbledore that she can find and to protect Harry's image. She's done a remarkable so far." Hermione added, a bit uncomfortable with the flirting between Sirius and her mother.

"I still say you're dealing with some uncomfortably dark people. First Lucius Malfoy and now Rita."

"We have to deal with such people if we want to achieve our goals. Working out what makes them tick then offering what they want in exchange for what we want has worked out well so far. The alliances are uneasy, however, especially with Lucius."

"Why don't I take over your dealings with these people?" Sirius offered.

"Not right now. Maybe when once you're full recovered."

"Is their anything I can do right now to help?" Sirius said, clearly frustrated at this point.

"Would you mind getting involved in magical politics on our behalf?" Harry asked.

"I prefer going back to prison to doing that."

"You could give us access to the Black library."

"That I can do. In exchange, you tell me how you managed to sneak out of Hogwarts."

"We will tell you if you are willing to sign a contract to tell no one what you learn from us."

"Deal. I will even throw in the Black family manor."

"Why don't you want it?"

"I hate that place and this way it will be used for something good instead of sitting empty and gathering dust."

"How about the items stored inside it?"

"You can use the money from selling it to fund the cause. But I should warn you that there are plenty of dark and cursed things that will need sorting through."

"Don't you worry about that, we know someone who can take care of it. Do you have any house elves living in the house?"

"Just Kreacher." Sirius exclaimed as he realised he did have a house elf. "You can have him too, he never liked me at all. He considers me a blood traitor. On second thought, you might be better off selling or trading the house elf as I doubt he will like you two much better."

"We will take him and try to retrain him." Hermione said.

"Best of luck with that. You'll need it."

Since Sirius really wanted to know their secrets as soon as possible, they took the time to negotiate a contract between the three of them. Hermione explained the embedded curse and why they had found it necessary. In fairly short order, the contract was signed and Sirius was taken to visit the vanishing cabinets."

"This is the secret of how we come and go from Hogwarts." Harry said, gesturing to the ornate cabinet.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, confused.

"It's a magical vanishing cabinet that we've connected to one at Hogwarts."

"How does it work?"

"It punches a hole into the fabric of reality to create a wormhole between this cabinet and its mate at Hogwarts," Hermione explained.

"It sounds more Muggle than magical?" Sirius admitted.

"No, really, it is magically operated. Muggle science has come pretty close to achieving something similar, but not yet." Hermione assured him.

"It can get past the wards surrounding Hogwarts? You managed all this along with all the information on Dumbledore too?"

"The information is very sensitive. We will tell you later when we get to know you better."

"Okay." Sirius said, unhappy that he was not being told but understanding where they were coming from all the same.

"We just learnt how to duplicate it."

"It can get past any wards, no matter how complex? What exactly is the range of that thing?" Sirius said with a gleam in his eyes.

"No, you can't use it for pranking. It is way too expensive and the parts are exceedingly rare." Hermione warned him.

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Your reputation precedes you."

"Damn. What else have you heard about little old me? How good looking I am? How many girls were interested in me?"

"That you were a prankster who almost managed to kill Professor Snape." Hermione frowned slightly.

"That was an accident. Anyway, Snivellius deserved it."

"I wish that you did kill him back then," Harry admitted.

"Why? What the hell has he done now?"

"He is a Death Eater who happens to be our very biased Potions teacher and the Head of Slytherin too."

"Was he one of those Death Eaters that Dumbledore helped to keep out of prison by giving some lame excuse?"

"He claimed to have changed and turned to the light side. Even though he is blatantly biased against anyone who does not believe in pureblood supremacy."

"No one is stopping him?" Sirius asked.

"No. Professor McGonagall was convinced by Dumbledore that Snape is a changed man and is now working as a spy amongst the Death Eater ranks. Meanwhile, Dumbledore keeps using his political clout to keep him at Hogwarts and out of jail. He would have been given a life sentence for all of the murders, rapes and tortures he is known to be involved in. Instead he is torturing every non-Slytherin student he has."

"I am surprised he isn't dead already with you two vigilantes on his case."

"We already have a special punishment arranged for him. Don't you worry about that."

"Dare I ask who else is on your list?"

"It is better if you don't know."

"Please tell me Lucy Malfoy is somewhere on that list."

"Yes. So you can sign any agreement you like with him as long as it does not guarantee safety for him or his family."

"Would it not be better to have him around to deal with the political dirty work?"

"It would if we share the same beliefs. Obviously, we don't."

"So who are you going to use to represent your interests on the political side of things?"

"Have you ever heard of the Outcast Organisation?"

"No. Is it new?"

"It has been around for years but the organisation is better known in the US and Asia where it promotes the interests of disadvantaged magical people like Muggleborns and werewolves."

"How are you going to get them access to the wizarding Britain political scene? It is quite different from most other countries."

"That is why we hired Rita, to help us slowly change the opinions of the wizarding public. If we can get the people to support a change, then the Organisation will be right there to represent it."

"That won't be enough. You're going to need to buy the Daily Prophet, else the editors will stop at nothing to crush any non-pureblood sanctioned movement. Plus the ministry is extremely corrupt. You'll need to have deeper pockets than the wealthiest of the purebloods that have generations in order to buy out the politicians."

"Sirius, by the way, what happened to the Potter money. I know my family was extremely old and wealthy." Harry asked.

"I am not your current magical guardian, so I have no idea."

"What if Dumbledore spent it?"

"If he did, there's nothing that you can do. It is Dumbledore's right as your magical guardian to take care of things on your behalf. For him not to protect your interests is wrong but perfectly legal."

"How about your family?"

"All of the Black money was given to Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. So all that was left was businesses, jewels and the Black Manor that she was not permitted to sell or give away. Their was a bit of money from dividends accumulated while I was incarnated but not much compared to what the others have."

"So most of the money, Lucius has been playing with was originally yours."

"Yes. And there's absolutely nothing I can do to get it back."

"So we need to compete against purebloods that have mountain of gold."

"Yes."

"Is the galleon fixed against all Muggle currencies?"

"No. It is based on the gold price since a significant proportion of the galleon is pure gold."

"Is that the same in every country?"

"Yes. The goblins are in charge of converting it to and from all Muggle currencies. They given a percentage of the fees they charge to whichever country makes the exchange. The British Ministry is known for charging a truly exorbitant amount for the exchange."

"If only the Philosopher's stone at Hogwarts was real. Then we would have no problems." Harry muttered.

"What is a fake Philosopher's Stone doing at Hogwarts?" Sirius wondered aloud.

"It is being used as a lure and it was also meant to be a test for me. But I think that Dumbledore is re-evaluating his plans now that he knows I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"Maybe you should steal it and sell it as though it really is the real thing. That would solve all your money problems rather neatly." Sirius said in jest.

"I think that we should start buying gold mining companies to work on reducing the price of gold. Especially if the mining techniques that Hermione's been developing pan out. That should have a significant impact on the pureblood element."

"Buying mining companies is going to take loads of money. Do you think you have enough?"

"We have more than enough from selling Basilisk parts and our various other ventures."

"What other ventures?"

"We are using the vanishing cabinets to supply Hogwarts with specialty items that students need urgently or can't buy via owls. The vanishing cabinets will soon be used to import and export things. Then there is the potion business we are starting up."

"I can help with the potions and import/export businesses. As the pureblood head of the Black family, I can put the business under my protection. This will reduce the taxes on the businesses and allow you access to certain markets like St. Mungos."

"Does being a Head of House have similar advantages?"

"Yes. I can't remember what they are at the moment, though. Anyway, Harry, when you reach 17, you will become the Head of Potter house and will be entitled to the same privileges."

"That's another thing that's so wrong with this society, the heavy importance on blood status and family influence." Hermione said angrily

"Does that mean you don't want my help?" Sirius asked.

"No, we definitely need the help with the potion business. But I think it might be better if we don't do it for the import/export business. We're not sure yet whether we want to keep it completely above board."

"Are you two running a potion business by yourselves?" Sirius asked.

"No, we're in partnership with someone who runs it on our behalf."

"What do you two put into this partnership?"

"Money among other things. Why don't you meet some of the people who work with us?"

"Okay. Any pretty girls?"

"Some. But please keep your hands to yourselves or else I won't introduce you to them."

"Okay. I promise to behave."

Hermione rounded everybody up in the lounge room.

"This is Alice. She is our administrator and librarian."

Alice inclined her head. Sirius did the same.

"This is Ashley, our Potions mistress."

"This is Dobby, our house elf."

"This is Doug, our resident curse-breaker and negotiator."

"And finally, here's Emily. She's the researcher who managed to recreate our vanishing cabinets."

"Everyone. This is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."

After the introductions, lunch was served by Dobby to a group of hungry and very appreciative diners. The conversations during lunch and immediately after were kept very light with reminisces of the Marauders' best pranking activities. Sirius left that day in a very good mood after finally spending some quality time with his young godson.


	23. Chapter 22 Adoption

Chapter 22

The custody hearing was decidedly anticlimatic. Sirius was there for support and readily gave his approval to the Grangers' application to adopt Harry. It was over pretty quickly since the Dursleys had no objections and Dumbledore was busy dealing with problems of his own. At that very moment, the headmaster was being questioned by Amelia Bones at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which she had agreed to do as a personal favour to Harry. She was more than happy to do it since the book Harry gave her was chock-full of ammunition she could use to pursue several offenders that had managed to evade justice over the years.

Smooth would hardly describe the coverage that Doug provided for Harry's absence that day. Doug was flirting with everyone including their female professors and he completely disregarded Hermione's every attempt to stop him. An eleven-year-old Harry batting his eyes and flirting with stern Professor McGonagall was a truly priceless sight. Doug was constantly flattering McGonagall and flirtatiously asking her out, much to her loudly expressed displeasure. It certainly didn't improve matters that Doug's antics had the students giggling wildly throughout the class. At the end, Doug had succeeded in winning Harry a month's worth of detentions for his outrageous behavior.

It wasn't all fun and games for Doug, however. Harry happened to have a double Potions class that day which Doug was forced to attend. Snape immediately proceeded to rip into "Harry" the instant he entered the classroom. Since Doug could not hypnotise Snape, he was forced to endure the professor at full boil. After the class had mercifully concluded, Doug really felt sorry for Harry since he had to endure a hateful and vindictive Snape on a regular basis. Doug had only been misbehaving to get even with Harry for his punishment in the Chamber of Secrets and so he made up his mind to be on his best behavior for the rest of the day.

When classes were over and Harry was busy swapping places with Doug again, Hermione was approached by their concerned Ravenclaw classmates.

"Hermione, is something wrong with Harry? He's been acting really strange all day and flirting with Professor McGonagall was definitely not the smartest thing to do."

"Sorry about that. Harry's godfather sent him some chocolates laced with a lust potion as a prank. I was finally able to get him the antidote, so he's perfectly fine now."

"By the way, speaking of strange behavior, we've all been noticing that you and Harry are always out late and you get up really late too. And it's downright impossible for anyone to get you to wake up. Can you explain that?" Su Li asked, trying to catch Hermione out. Hermione didn't much appreciate being blindsided and her brain was working feverishly to devise a believable excuse.

"We use an empty classroom to do a special meditation routine that allows to get by with much less sleep than normal." It was true in a sense.

"Can you teach us how to do it?" asked an excited Lisa Turpin.

"Yeah, that would be a huge help when we're studying for exams," Kevin Entwhistle added.

"Sorry, but when we were taught this technique our teacher made us swear never to share his secrets with anyone else. I can teach you something similar, but not that specific method," Hermione told them.

"Your teacher will never know if you teach us. We would never tell a soul," Mandy pleaded. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"My teacher would know just by looking at me. He can read anyone's body language like a book."

"What would reading someone's body language have to do with anything?" Michael Corner asked.

"Reading body language is almost like reading someone's mind. Muggles developed these techniques to make up for their lack of access to magical techniques like veritaserum and Legilimency." Hermione replied.

"What is Legilimency?" Isobel asked.

"It is the magical ability to literally read someone's mind. And it's illegal to use without permission, except in pretty extreme circumstances," Su Li supplied.

"How do you know so much? You are a Muggleborn student for Merlin's sake." Terry Boot asked in a condescending way.

"Would you like to rephrase that question?" Hermione said, eyes narrowed with implicit threat.

Terry Boot cowered back in fear. He had been learning a great deal from her on the rare occasions that he had earned the right to participate in one of Hermione's group study sessions and he did not want to find himself excluded.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me," Terry whined pathetically.

"In response to your first question, Harry and I study constantly and our meditation techniques help us retain that knowledge."

"The fact that you don't need much sleep also helps." Su Li commented.

"You are going to teach us these techniques?" Anthony Goldstein asked.

"Yes, if you are willing to agree to a few terms," Hermione told him.

"What terms?" Mandy wanted to know.

"The first term is simple. You don't tell any of our professors-including Professor Dumbledore-and you don't tell any of the other students about these techniques or that you'll be learning them from us."

"Why can't we tell?" Mandy asked, not pleased to be deprived of good gossip material.

"Professor Dumbledore has banned the teaching of these skills because he wants to be able to access student minds at his whim."

"Albus Dumbledore is not like that, he's the leader of the Light!"

"Self-proclaimed leader of the Light. Haven't you read the articles about him in the Daily Prophet?"

"Yes, but they must be all lies. Rita Skeeter is hardly the most reliable source," Padma sniffed.

"All of it is real. I have seen the evidence firsthand."

"No phoenix would ever associate with an evil or dark person," Stephen Cornfoot countered.

"Fawkes has been bound to Dumbledore with some pretty nasty charms. Harry and I found the charms ourselves and we've been working on finding a way to free him. The charms Dumbledore are extremely old and rare, so we've been having a hard time working out a way to counter them," Hermione told them.

"Why don't you ask Professor Flitwick? He is the Charms professor after all."

"He wasn't able to detect the charms. If he had, he would've removed them already."

"So how can you detect something that our professor can't?"

"Harry's mother was a charms prodigy. Lily Potter managed to create several advanced charms and passed her talent on to Harry."

"Why can't you show Professor Flitwick the charm so he can help you to remove it?"

"The charm is a Potter family secret now. Harry already considers me his family, which is why I was able to learn the charm."

"Does that mean that you two are a serious couple?" Padma asked.

"We are still too young for that kind of thing."

"How about when you're older?" Mandy wondered.

"We don't know yet. It is too early to tell." Hermione said, obviously uncomfortable with this line of questioning, which greatly amused her classmates.

"Getting back to the terms for these lessons. You won't tell anyone about what Harry or I are up to, you don't follow us around and you don't try to find out either."

"Are you doing something illegal?" Terry asked.

"We just like our privacy. The third term is that you don't disturb our sleep."

Everyone was fine with that one.

"Fourth term is that the agreement will be enforced by a cursed contract that will have some unpleasant consequences for anyone who tries to break it."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Padma asked, her dark eyes wide.

"If you don't like the terms then you're welcome to leave. These terms are non-negotiable."

No one moved.

"I will hold two sessions a day. One with the study group and another one will be an evening session in the Ravenclaw boys' dorms."

"Why there?"

"The Ravenclaw common room is way too public and the boys can't access the girls' dorms. Any other questions?"

"Does it take very long to learn?"

"Yes. But it is totally worth it. The younger you are, the easier it is for you to pick up."

"Any other questions?" Silence. "Good. I'll see you all in the boys' dorms right after dinner and I'll have the contracts ready for you to sign."

Everyone left the room except for Mandy and her friends.

"How can I help you?" Hermione asked.

"Do you remember when we helped you escape the two Griffindork idiots? You and Harry agreed that we could borrow Harry's invisibility coat sometime in the future?"

"Yes. Do you need to borrow it for something?"

The girls all turned red and whispered among themselves for a few seconds.

"Yes."

"Okay. When will you need it?"

"Tonight."

"After our Occlumency session, Harry will give you the cloak along with a coin that will let you if someone is coming. Just don't get caught, alright?"

"We won't," they chorused.

As soon as the girls left. Hermione placed Protean charms on a couple of coins that she would use along with the Marauders' Map to warn them if they were in danger of being discovered. She then left for dinner so she could inform Harry about what had happened at school while he had been busy. Hermione was also curious to hear how the adoption hearing had gone.

In the Great Hall, Hermione turned to Harry as soon as they sat down.

"So how did it go?"

"It went great. The Dursleys had no objections and actually endorsed the proceedings. Dumbledore didn't show up to muck things up and Sirius was on hand to give his approval too."

"How did he know what time the hearing would be held?"

"He's been spending a lot time at your house flirting with all the girls. Sirius has been there every evening getting to know your parents and enjoying Dobby's cooking."

"Should we be worried about Sirius finding out too much about our operation?" Hermione worried.

"No, the girls all know to chuck him out when they need to keep something confidential. We need to trust our employees and the contracts we had them sign should protect us. How did things go with Doug pretending to be me?"

"Not well. He hit on every girl in school up to and including Millicent Bulstrode. She showed quite a bit of interest in you, by the way."

"I am totally going to murder Doug the next time I see him," Harry growled.

"Hang on, it gets even worse. He hit on Professor McGonagall all throughout Transfiguration so you have a whole month of detentions with her. And Snape gave you a month of detentions too, just for being you."

"I should've just pretended to be sick."

"I told everyone that Sirius gave you a lust potion. So I have agreed to teach everyone Occlumency."

"I'll go see Professor McGonagall right after dinner and use the lust potion excuse."

"I doubt that'll get you out of detention, she doesn't like either of us anyway."

"I can always try."

"Good luck with that."

Harry went to Professor McGonagall's office immediately after dinner to try to get out of the detentions Doug had so thoughtfully earned for him.

"Mr. Potter, already here for your detentions, I see," Professor McGonagall greeted him with a scowl upon his arrival.

"I'm really sorry about my behavior in class, Professor. I just found out that my godfather, Sirius Black, managed to dose me with a lust potions. It was his idea of a great joke."

"I'm afraid that's not an acceptable excuse. If you were acting out of the ordinary, your friends should have taken you to the infirmary at once."

"They know I don't like the infirmary."

"That's too bad, Mr. Potter."

"Can I at least carry out my detentions with another professor? Frankly, I find my memories of today's class to be more than a little disturbing."

"That's something we can both agree on," Professor McGonagall acknowledged.

"Perhaps Professor Flitwick would be willing?"

"No." Professor McGonagall thought for a minute. "How about Professor Snape?"

"How about Professor Sprout?"

"No. It's either me or Professor Snape."

"Professor Snape." Harry agreed, defeated.

"Do you truly dislike me so much that you prefer to spend your detentions with Professor Snape?"

"Yes. Can I go, my memories of this morning are making me feel rather ill, Harry told her.

"Please leave, I really don't want you getting sick in my office." Professor McGonagall said.

Harry left Professor McGonagall's office and proceeded to the Potions classroom. As soon as Harry arrived, he used the hypnotic trigger that he had implanted in Snape's mind to make the Potions master teach him more of his advanced potions and mental techniques.

That weekend, Harry promptly confronted Doug.

"Why the hell did you go out of your way to get me two months of detentions?"

"I was just getting even for you leaving me alone in the Chamber of Secrets with a Basilisk that happens to get serious enjoyment out of terrorizing me."

"That is no excuse. This is your first warning, Doug. If you do not get your act together, you will be fired."

"I'm sorry, Harry."

"From now on you are on probation and you just lost any bonuses that you would've received."

"What right have you to make such decisions?" Doug said, red-faced with outrage.

The werewolf stopped in his tracks when Dan informed him, "He is your manager for all intents and purposes and he reports to us. That is the chain of command in this operation. If you don't like it, you're welcome to quit. But just remember the contract we have. At any rate, I wholeheartedly agree with Harry. You've become entirely too lazy and greedy even though we've been very generous with you. This cannot continue. If you do not start working harder and putting our interests ahead of your own, you'll be out of a job with a big loan to pay off. So do you swear to behave from now on?"

Realizing that he was in a very weak position, Doug decided to accept the situation for now.

"I promise to do better." Doug agreed defeatedly.

"Make sure that you do. Now do you have something to say to Harry?"

"I am sorry." Doug said, his voice barely a whisper.

Hermione could see how badly Doug felt and decided to take pity on him by changing the subject. "Why don't we get our meeting underway so that Harry and I can go Christmas shopping?"

"Yes, lets." Emma had realized what Hermione was doing and quickly agreed.

"Is Sirius here?" Harry asked as they walked together to the lounge that doubled as their conference room.

"Not this time. Sirius had a meeting with Tonks today. But he's been hanging around here a lot and trying to chat up Ashley, Alice and Emily."

"Is he disturbing their work or finding out about anything we don't want him to know just yet?"

"No. Ashley tosses him out of her tent as soon as he turns up. Alice talks with him when she is doing the paperwork in the sorting tent but when she is copying books or researching, she also kicks him out. Emily either stays in her tent, which Sirius knows is off limits, or she hides out in the cabinetmaker's workshop to avoid him. But Doug and Sirius get along great."

"What has Doug being doing besides doing his best to destroy my reputation?" Harry asked.

"He's been working with Alice on the renovation plans for our new place, including finding us period furniture or making copies of books for the Outcast library." Emma replied.

"Who is taking care of our business with the Weasley twins?"

"Alice has been handling that. She is very responsible and we no longer trust Doug to do it."

"Can I borrow Alice and Emily?" Hermione asked.

"Why dear? They have a lot of important tasks they need to accomplish. Emily is building more of our much-needed vanishing cabinet replicas and Alice is busy with a lot of other important things."

"I need some help with my research into mining techniques. Most of the methodology has already been developed. I just need to develop a better detection charm. I believe we can manaage it if we modify the ward detection spell to identify minerals."

"Isn't dangerous experimenting in this area? Mining isn't exactly the safest of tasks," Emma said, visibly concerned for her daughter."You should leave it for the adults to handle, dear."

"Really, it's alright. Once we finish researching then we can experiment in the Room of Requirement, which is kind of like the holodeck suite in Star Trek. There are loads of safety measures built in to protect someone from hurting themselves. That's why the Room of Requirement is ever so useful."

"Why don't you use Doug instead? That way, if there's anything dangerous that needs to be done, he can take care of it. It will also allow you to keep a close eye on him for us. Plus he is the most knowledgeable of us when it comes to ward detection."

"Okay."

"You can also use Ashley. I'm planning on to using my detentions with Snape to make him to personally teach Ashley all of the modified and advanced potions he knows. This will free up the time Hermione uses to research the potion requests that she isn't already familiar with." Harry supplied.

"I will check with her later about that," Hermione said, clearly unconvinced.

"So how far a long are we on buying a gold mining company?"

"We've put some feelers out there already but it is going to cost lots of money."

"We can use the new house you bought and the investments we made as collateral for a loan to purchase the mining company. The majority of the miners will be from the magical world, so your costs won't need to be reported in the non-magical world. So the non-magical world would think you made loads of profit while you convert the unreported galleons we made into hard currency."

"Since you put it that way, I'll make time to speak to our bank manager on Monday to start organising a loan. Nothing will happen for at least another month as everything slows down considerably during the holiday season."

"Focus your search in gold mining companies in the state of Nevada in the US or the western end of Australia. They're the top gold-producing regions, if my memory is correct." Harry informed them.

"Thecompanies you're talking about would cost us several million to purchase and we only have close to a million pounds legally recognised to play with."

"Why don't you put the hundred and fifty thousand pounds that we have sitting here doing nothing into the bank so that we can invest it? Claiming it is another part of the inheritance. Around half of that would go as taxes but we have about two months before that will be due. You're going to sell all of your holdings in Microsoft and Nike?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they're on the market at the moment with a strike price of US $2.60 for Microsoft and US $9 for Nike. Once the sale is complete, we should net around two hundred thousand pounds of profit. Not bad for just three and a half months of investing."

"Have you got your broker looking for Microsoft short contracts with a spot price of US $2.65 and a strike price of US $2.25 due in July?"

"Yes." Dan said

"You remember this is a derivative contract, which means you only have to maintain the margin which means that the amount you can invest is greatly multiplied."

"Yes, our broker worked it all out for us to maximise the return if the contract is in the money."

"So we should get around two million pounds by July."

"Yes. actually quite a bit more if what you're saying is true."

"How about the high end items we wanted to auction off that come from the raids or the Room of Lost Things?"

"One auction will be held on Monday and another smaller one will be held in either January or February."

"Why two auctions?"

"Some of the paintings and other items still need to be authenticated. And any stolen property has to be returned and we're trying to arrange barters instead of sales for certain things."

"So you can furnish the new house?"

"Yes. It is perfectly legal as long as no one makes a claim on a lost item for insurance purposes."

"The auction houses are allowing you to do this?"

"We are paying them extra for the auctions we hold, plus an additional handling fee for the exchanges."

"Do you have an estimate of how much you should get for these auctions?"

"There is a lot of interest already, but the current estimates range from two hundred thousand pounds and up. And that is just for the first auction. The second auction will include paintings that could well be lost masterpieces which have been hidden in the magical world for years. So they're not even willing to speculate on those prices, especially as some will be given back to holocaust survivors and other owners of the stolen items."

"Maybe we could ask Sirius to purchase Muggle items he finds in the magical community, especially the pureblood families. It will help him feel more included and will give him something as he recovers from his stay in Azkaban."

"We can ask about it tomorrow; he's going to be coming over to spend some time with you."

"Before we head off shopping, have the authorities taken an interest in you since you've been selling so many rare things?"

"No, the Outcast supporter happened to be a well-known collector. Her house was filled to the brim with assorted junk so the discovery of a cache of valuables wasn't a total surprise. She recently passed away, so the police can hardly ask her about it, can they?"

"To be on the safe side, I think the both of you should make a number of substantial donations to charities you believe in. It will reduce your taxes, raise your public profile and give you political capital that will come in handy later on," Harry suggested.

"That's a really good idea. Why didn't I think of that?" Emma said.

"Can you imagine the Daniel and Emma Granger Scholarship trust fund or the Hermy Granger Scholarship trust fund?" Dan teasingly suggested, knowing full well how much Hermione hated nicknames.

"I was thinking you should include a few environmental groups in the US and Australia. So when we do finally purchase a mining company, they can attest to how environmentally friendly our techniques are since we'll be using magic to substantially lower the environmental impace."

"You should include a number of smaller donations instead of just a few big donations, that will earn you even more political capital." Hermione added.

Harry thought for a moment. "You know, you really should put off announcing these donations until after you have completed the renovations. You don't need the bureaucrats getting the bright idea of dragging out the renovation process to wangle even more money from you guys."

"Okay. Enough. I am getting a headache." Dan said, rubbing his head for effect.

"So can we go shopping now?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Alright," Dan agreed, even though he wasn't looking forward to playing cab driver and carrying mule for their shopping expedition.

"Lead the way." Harry said, which lightened Dan's mood when he realized that at least he would have Harry for company.


	24. Chapter 23 Christmas

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter universe is owned by JK Rowling. I do not claim ownership, or do this for any monetary gain, and fully understand she can shut me down any time she pleases.

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. Do not read this if you are a fan of Ron, Ginny, Dumbledore, Snape, Remus, Draco or Molly. This chapter has not being beta. I have tried looking for betas for this story without much success. So Grammar and Spelling is going to be bad.**

Chapter 23 Christmas

Hermione had decided to stay at Hogwarts to keep Harry company during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Harry was staying to keep Dumbledore ignorant of the adoption process being conducted by the Grangers. Once the muggle adoption process had been completed then Harry would inform the school including Dumbledore in the change in guardianship. Until then Dumbledore could intervene with the muggle authorities which could cause all sorts of headaches they did not need.

As their were so few people around Harry and Hermione had to attend all the meals at Hogwarts to avoid making Dumbledore and the other professors suspicious. At every meal, Harry and Hermione would tested their food and tableware for potions. Dumbledore get upset everytime they did this but could say a thing. The detentions with Professor Snape continued during this period as Harry wanted them out of the way. A side benefit of the detentions was that Ashley had two extra hands to deal with the additional orders that came from being endorsed by Head of the Black family.

The additional orders and the lessons from Snape meant that Ashley was unable to help Hermione with her research and development. Instead Hermione was left with Doug who was now quiet placate since Harry had told him off. Since Doug was not his usual cocky self, Hermione was able to achieve a lot without interruption. On Christmas eve, she was ready to go to the Room of Requirement to start testing her mining techniques.

At the same time Emily and the cabinet maker had just finished another Vanishing Cabinet. This set of cabinets was going to connect a French warehouse owned by the Outcast Organisation to the Grangers' current home. This home was going to be turned into a hub for import and export and placed under a Fidelius Charm to protected it. As soon as the Grangers' new home was fully renovated.

On Christmas Eve, all the employees were gathered together for lunch including the Acrumuntula hunting party with Dobby preparing the food for this meal. Sirius was spending time with the Tonks who was one of the few remaining family members he liked. While Harry and Hermione were stuck at school so was also absent from the gathering. It was an enjoyable meal with everyone getting to know one another and enjoying the delicious food. As they were finishing their meal, Dan stood up and spoke.

"Thank you everyone for a great year. We could not have achieved what we achieve without your effort. I hope that next year is even better I as get to know you all better. As a token of our appreciation of the work you all put in here are a few gifts from us to you. Dobby can you please give out the presents and bonuses."

Dobby appeared with presents and bags of money. Emily received a trunk as she was receiving the most money as a bonus as she was the longest employee. Doug got a gold and diamond money clip with a dollar sign on it with no bonus. When he saw the others receiving more expensive presents and a Christmas bonus as well. He got extremely pissed off. That combined with the alcohol he consumed with his lunch resulted in he saying.

"Where is my Christmas bonus? I have worked longer than everyone else here besides Emily and what do I get a lousy money clip while Alice gets a magical camera with various lens attachments worth ten times my gift. This is so unfair. I..."

Before he could say something else he might regret. Alice had stunned him. He fell forward into a cup of fire whiskey, unconscious. Some of the hunters moved his body to the lounge before tying him up so he can not get into more trouble in his drunken state.

Dan and Emma Grangers receive reusable emergency portkeys from Harry and Hermione. Magical and non-magical wine from almost everyone else. Harry received framed photos of his parents from various people. His classmates got him sweets or books which was the same as what he got them. Hermione got Harry a framed photo of Sirius, Dan, Emma and herself. Harry was disappointed that Hagrid did not get him anything for Christmas even though part of him expected it. Dumbledore gave Harry some chocolates and sweets that he passed to the twins to give to their brother. Hermione also got the same chocolates as Harry which she also passed to Ron just in case Dumbledore put potions in the chocolates or sweets that they could not detect. Harry got Hermione a dummy with interchangeable faces so that she could take out her frustration on the doll rather than him. The rest of the presents she got was books including from her parents.

On the 27th of December, Harry and Hermione went to the Grangers place to spend some time with Sirius and Hermione's parents. They were quiet shocked to see the Outcast Leader sitting in the lounge room chatting with Sirius like old friends. As soon as Sirius saw Harry and Hermione, he got up and hugged them.

"Merry Christmas, Harry , Hermione!"

"Merry Christmas yourself Sirius." Hermione replied in greeting.

"Merry Christmas, Padfoot." Harry said.

"It is good to see you both. Since you were getting involved with the Outcast organisation I thought I should get to know the people running the show."

"I don't see any broken glass or furniture. So I assume you two are getting along." Harry said.

"It was easy for us to find common ground. Their evasion techniques was like our pranking in school. I laughed myself silly when he told me about that time they submitted 10,000 forms just so that they could slip 5 questionable applications to a particular ministry official. The ministry official got RSI from approving all those forms and left them alone ever since. Every time that official sees the Outcast member he runs the other way."

"How about the cause?" Hermione asked.

"I can agree with their cause and I believe we can work together." Sirius said.

"Definitely." the Outcast Leader added.

"Speaking about getting acquainted. How did your meeting with the Tonks go?" Harry asked.

"Well. They never believed I was guilty and did try to help me get a trial without success. The paperwork they provided me again proves to me that Dumbledore was a two faced bastard. So it was a lovely reunion for me. In fact I have moved in with them. Since Andy is a healer so she is looking after me to ensure I make a full recovery."

"That is great. You should introduce us during the Summer holidays." Harry suggested.

"Okay I will."

"How is your recovery going?"

"Quiet well especially since I started buying up non-magical things from magical people like Dan and Emma suggested. As it keeps me busy and gives me a purpose."

"Any success?"

"Some, I have a few leads and have begun talks with the ministry to dispose of things confiscated by the department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts. But it is early days yet."

"That sounds great. Speaking of selling. How did the auction go?"

"I will tell you more later but it went quite well." Dan stated.

"How is the new school going?" Hermione asked since she could tell that Dan did not want the Outcast leader/Sirius to know how much money they made or ask where the things they sold came from.

"All four main buildings have been completed. We are now adding the special requirements for different subjects to the classrooms within those buildings. Classrooms for the first and second year students have been completed since they are at the bottom level and there are only few special requirements for these classrooms unlike the NEWT or the R&D rooms. The second level for third, fourth and fifth years is half way to completion. Third level is for Sixth and Seventh years is a third of the way to completion so is the fourth level used for apprentices. We had to keep work on three of the buildings at the same level as we don't want the different schools to complain about bias. All three main buildings housing the various schools are very constant in their designs.

We have are started using the new school for first and second year classes with no problems so far. Your suggestion to setup a private floo network between the schools has worked a treat. The additional funds you people have being giving us has met that we can keep the old schools open as well as build the new school. The biggest problem we have are the fights amongst the professors whenever a new shipment of books from you arrive. Especially among competing professors. It is quite entertaining watching prim and proper scholars get into fist cuffs over books."

"Do you have a librarian cataloguing the new arrivals?"

"Yes, but he is working flat out trying to keep the peace rather then just cataloguing the new arrivals."

"Why don't you create a schedule where Professors take turns being the first person to select which book they wish to borrow first from a particular shipment? Failure to return the book by the due date will ban them from the schedule until they return the book."

"We tried that but their was fights over the order of the schedule."

"While don't you give me an alphabetical list of the Professors and I will randomly workout a schedule from that. This way, you can say that the sponsor for the library created the schedule and any changes will upset me."

"That might work as you will be unbiased and they will be fearful of upsetting the sponsor who could pull their research funding if they get too out of line."

"Does that mean you name something after me?" Hermione said innocently.

"Since you are all providing the lion share of the funding of this new school we had already decided to call the new school the Granger Institute. If that is all right with you?"

"That is most definitely fine." Dan said quickly.

"In fact we feel honoured that you would do so."

"Do you want to name the buildings?"

"Can you name the new library, Hermione's Sanctuary in her honour." Harry suggested resulting in Hermione moving over to hug him.

"That is fine. You need to name the 4 main new buildings at the new school, the sport fields, the dorms we have not built yet and all the R&D buildings. Let's start with the Library building which also holds the administrative staff and our main infirmary. It was also the first building to be completed. What do you want this building to be called?"

"Why don't you tell us about the other buildings first?"

"One building will deal mainly with vampires, the next building will deal with werewolves and the final building will house everyone else."

"Why don't we name it after James, Lily, Dan and Emma?" Sirius suggests.

"No. We should name after the Marauders." Hermione replies which makes Harry and Sirius both smile.

"She is right. The school is named after us and the library after Hermione. It is only fair the main buildings represent something for Harry rather then us." Emma said in support.

"But we replace Wormtail with Lily." Sirius suggested.

"Can we replace Lupin as well?" Harry asks.

"No. I can understand why you don't trust him but he is not really a bad person just lead astray by an evil man masquerading as a good man. Now he is too set in his ways to change. I will approach him again and try to get him to see reason but not until I am fully recovered from my stay in prison." Sirius says.

"I can concede that he was lead astray."

"We should do it for the person who he was not what he has become." Hermione said.

"Okay so what should the buildings be called their first names, nicknames or last names?" Harry asked.

"Last names and you decide on the allocate, Harry." Emma said which everyone agreed with.

"Evans for the Library building, Potter for the Vampires, Lupin for the werewolves and Black for the miscellaneous."

"I see no problems with that." The Outcast leader said as he finished writing down Harry's suggestions.

"When will the school be completed?" Harry asked.

"Around June according to the builders but you know how unreliable they are in terms of timetables."

"Is that everything including the Dorms?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this?"

"We don't want a repeat of Tom Riddle better known as Voldemort. So I was thinking students from abusive backgrounds or orphans be given the opportunity to live at the school all year round."

"Staffing could be a problem. Since we will need to hire more staff to look after those children during holiday periods."

"The new school will have a lot of apprentices. Even more now with the additional funding we are providing so have a rotation system where they take turns looking after these kids."

"I think that is workable but it is going cost a lot money going forward to maintain such a scheme."

"Why don't you build a farm on the school grounds? These children who live at the school all year round can take turns caring for the animals or tending the crops for pocket money and to teach them responsibility. The farm can provide food and potion ingredients for the school once it has been established. It could also provide a source of income and successful herbology experiments could be adopted at the farm to give the school a competitive advantage. To help you get started I will steal some cuttings from the plants are Hogwarts and get our hunters to collect some of the rarer plants from the Forbidden Forest."

"I can see fights coming up from our Herbology professors over those plants. We don't have the space or the facilities to do so."

"Can't you buy the neighbouring properties?"

"Yes but it all comes down to money."

"How much would you need?"

"Around 200 thousand galleons to start with to buy the land, build the facilities we need and to buy breeding stock and seeds."

"Harry, we need to talk it through before we rushing in on a new venture." Dan said concerned that Harry was doing another of his spur of the moment things which he was renowned for.

"Why don't you put some figures together for Alice and we will go from there?" Hermione said as she too wanted to talk to Harry about it.

"I should have the figures tomorrow as we did look into that at one point but found it was too expensive."

"Part of the cost of the venture can be covered by the R&D expense for the Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology Departments." Harry said

"We don't have Care of Magical Creatures as a subject but if we get this farm up and running then we can offer it."

"What subjects do you offer?"

"The major subjects only Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, American History, DADA and Herbology with Runes and Arthimary now being offered to all students instead of just one school due to the Amalgamation."

"How about Salem what do they offer?"

"All that plus muggle studies, introduction to magical society and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Does any schools have Astronomy, Divination or magical law?"

"There are specialised colleges for those subjects plus Magical Arts such as Paintings, Native American magic and a whole host of others."

"How about non-magical subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English etc?"

"No magic schools offer those subjects."

"You should do so that muggleborn and half-bloods can still go to non-magical universities if they don't like it in the magical world. It will attract a lot of non-magical raised students and their parents if these options were available. Another benefit would be that it would encourage the combination of science and magic."

"New students is no longer a problem. Your research grants have enabled us to steal Professors with Masters in Runes and Arthimany. This forced the closure of at least two schools. The students from those schools will be joining the Grangers Institue after the festive holidays which is going double our total student population."

"Why was the schools forced to close?" Harry asked concerned that their actions had some unexpected negatives consequences.

"We had one Runes professor and one Arthimany professor across all three of schools. The amalgamation of the three schools met that they did not have enough time to teach all the students. So they roped in the Professors from the specialised schools to help cope with the workload. As the schools no longer had the Professors to teach their speciality. They decided to close rather than try to compete against us for replacement professors."

"So you did not deliberately force these schools to close. They did voluntarily."

"As soon as we came along with all the additional resources at our disposal. They realised the writing was on the wall. So they shut up shop and added what little resources they had to our so that their students would be accepted into our new school."

"How is the Research going?" Harry asked.

"We have 15 articles being reviewed at the moment which has a major impact in their respective fields that is compared to 5 published articles in the previous 2 years which was ignored as being unimportant."

"How did so many articles get written in such a short time?" Hermione asked.

"Most of the professors are working ridiculous hours trying to out do the Professors from the other schools. That is why there are fights over the books coming in as they want the best topics. The vampires have 7 articles in review with another 6 articles in the late stages of being written. Werewolves are not far behind with the miscellaneous in the rear but that will change once the professors we recently acquired start working."

"How many new professors did you get?"

"We hired 5 new Runes and Arthimany professors. A lot of professors from other schools are interested in joining the Granger Institute including some Salem Institute teachers who are considered the best in America. They are attracted to the research funding you guys are offering."

"Why don't you try to accept Professors for all the subjects you don't have so that you can offer a wide range of subjects? Letting students have that many options will encourage enrolments which increases your chances of finding truly talented students."

"I can see your point and with the old school buildings we can use those until we build the additional rooms we need to cope with the expanded school."

"You should also look for Squibs to teach the non-magical subjects. That reminds me. What happens to Squibs?" Hermione asked.

"They can not teach them in our schools as we don't offer non-magical subjects. We help them get non-magical scholarships but that is the extent of our reach in the non-magical world."

"Maybe you should try to reach out to these students you helped either as a network in the non-magical world or to offer them positions as teachers in the new non-magical subjects."

"We have tried to reach out to these students before but most of them want nothing to do with the magical world. After the way they have been treated I can not blame them. Maybe by having this teaching offer on the table plus the possibility of research into combining the magical and non-magical world would lead to greater success."

"Speaking of new areas. You should get professors to teach Occlumency as soon as possible. I don't know why the subject is not compulsory for all students as it helps students retain knowledge and would reduce the number of fights as it helps students manage their emotions better. We have taught Alice, Doug and our Hogwarts classmates the basics and it seems to help. In fact if you can not find teachers then Alice or Doug could teach basics."

"Aurors are all taught that skill as part of their training. So teachers should not be a problem." Sirius added.

"Why don't I go and start working on these suggestions? I especially like your suggestions about Occlumency." The Outcast Leader got up and was about to leave when Harry asked.

"Before you go do you know whether our cabinet arrived in the US yet?"

"It arrived in our warehouse last week why?"

"It can transport things magically between the US and UK without the authorities from either countries knowing about it. So we want to create a joint venture so that we can sell things to and from US and the Outcast Organisation can get a small cut of the profits."

"That sounds great. What sort of cut are we talking about and when do you want to start?"

Dan spoke up and said "5 percent of the profits and we want to start right away if you have a legally registered company in both the muggle and magical world we could use."

"That should not be a problem, I can send you the paperwork tomorrow for your lawyers to look over."

"The company has to be registered to do share and derivative trading?" Harry asked.

"We have a number of shell companies that we can use and I am sure one of them is registered for share trading."

"Sirius, do want to get involved?"

"Why don't you talk about that among yourselves while I get everything under way." The Outcast Leader said as he got up to leave.

As soon as the Outcast leader had left. Dan said to Harry.

"Harry. What were you thinking, creating a farm at the new school?"

"It will provide future funding for the school allowing it to protect orphans and abused students. Start up costs are no problem as we can now sell Basilisk parts in the US without helping our enemies."

"It takes lots of planning to start a new venture like this and you are giving Alice a lot of extra work checking the figures that the Outcast Organisation provides just as we begin a massive renovation project."

"Why don't you hire a management team in the US to deal with all the paperwork? It is probably worth the expense as they can usually work out companies structures that minimise tax. Normally you could hire an accounting firm to do all for us but since we will be dealing with both the magical and non-magical world, I don't think that is possible." Hermione suggested.

"That is a good idea. Especially since we made almost half a million pounds from the recent auction which was double what we expected. The other auction is expected to net much more with two hundred registered bidders already and the auction is still 2 months away."

"Why was their such a big difference between what was expected and what was raised?"

"It seems that there was a number of pieces that the Auction house had identified as unnamed makers were in fact they were from renowned artists which drove the prices for these pieces sky high."

"Maybe you should use a different auction house if they made such fundamental mistakes." Harry suggested.

"It was not their fault. We were rushing them to auction off all this stuff so they focused on what they thought were the big ticket items and the smaller items got over looked. When you get ten pounds extra for a hundred small items it adds up."

"That sounds reasonable."

"If you have a lot of spare cash, you should consider buying newspapers, magazines and wireless stations as that is one best ways to initiate change." Sirius suggested.

"We already brought 15% of the main magical newspaper in the US and will buy more in time. As a matter of fact we should transfer the ownership of the shares to this new company. That way we will separate our magical income from our non-magical income. It will simplify our paperwork as the new company can deal with all the magical bureaucracy."

"You know that media companies rarely give dividends in the magical world. It is all about political power to money making."

"In the non-magical world, a lot of money is made by the media companies and a person can become very rich from buying media companies look at Murdoch and the Packers."

"Well the magical world is different. Are you going to use this company to buy more media companies?" Sirius asks.

"We are on the look out but we were planning to delay for a few months as we identified a few opportunities we wish to exploit." Dan stated matter of factly.

"If you going to do that then I want to get involved as well. Especially since I will not have to do the paperwork."

"Do you want to help us buy media outlets in the UK and US?"

"I could do that but you should also be looking at Europe as that has a great influence in the UK through the ICW which Dumbledore is currently controlling. If you can remove Dumbledore from the ICW then UK would be forced to change."

"Since we know nothing about this area of politics. Why don't you look into that for us and we can work something out from there?"

"If you are going in that direction then I would not mind putting some of my money into the project as well."

"You can talk about privately as we need to be back at school before Dumbledore misses our company." Harry said as he and Hermione got up to leave.


	25. Chapter 24 Problem

A/N Still unbetaed.

Responses to reviews.

Doug's indiscretion will be ignored as he was drunk at the time and the Grangers provided the alcohol.

Sorry if anyone has any problems with the way I have constructed the organisation they are running. All I can say is that I try to stay as close to reality as I can by basing it on my friends' experiences when they started their own IT companies when they were teenagers. Businesses need to be constantly expanding doing new things to grow or it will stagnant.

The estate was actually a one hectare not one acre. (Sorry for the error. I am not familiar with the non-decimal system).

Corruption in the upper levels of society is quiet common in every society. Any one who disagrees has their heads in the clouds. Dumbledore as a extremely high level official will have collected a lot of favours over the years that he could draw upon. Especially within the Slytherin Alumni where he turned a blind eye to all their misbehaviour.

Stealing from estates is quite common. Especially using hard to detect ways such as undervaluing items or manipulating share prices for personal gain through third parties is extremely common. The authorities do not have the resources or the political willpower to actual change it.

The focus of this story is the business and the politics behind money. Relationship development is not my forte. You can ask my ex-girlfriends. I am a numbers and concepts man.

Chapter 24

Four months went by quickly. Harry was copying books from library's restricted section when he heard some steps coming towards him. He stopped his copying and put the book back. Hoping that the disillusionment spell he had cast would hide his presence from the invisible. As he stood their as silently as possible he notice that several books on famous people was removed from the shelves and a quick search through of the book was done before the book was returned to the shelves. Harry could hear Ron whisper something and knew it had to be Ron and Neville. As soon as they left, Harry finished copying the book he was working on and went back to the table he shared with Hermione. He leaned close to Hermione before whispering to her.

"I think Ron and Neville are looking for books about Nicholas Flamel."

"They have been working on it for months now. Have you not wondered why they have not been bothering us recently?"

"I don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Padma has been keeping informed of the rumours floating around the Griffindor dorms. Neville got an invisible coat for Christmas and he and Ron has been getting special lessons from Dumbledore ever since he got the coat."

"I am surprised that Ron has not boasted about getting trained by Dumbledore to everyone."

"Dumbledore probably put a spell on Ron and Neville to prevent them talking about the lessons. The only reason people know is that Percy noticed that they were disappearing at unusual times. So he followed them to the Headmaster's office when he tried to confront them about it. They could not say a thing and the points he removed as a prefect was returned later that day."

"Why did he not train me?"

"You won't pureblood and he was looking for a sacrificial lamb. Now that you have shown to be a strong willed person he has decided to change his plans since his needs a new weapon to use against Voldemort. Just be thankful he has moved on from you to Neville and Ron."

"So he is still using the philosopher's stone as a test again but this time the test subject is Neville and Ron. I can live with that. Should we give them hints to help them on the way?"

"No. The longer it takes the less trouble they give us."

"Talking about trouble have you decided whether I such obliviate Michael Corner of your Occlumency training or not. We have already done the same to everyone we think is not aligned to our cause. I say we do him as well. It is better to be safe than sorry."

"It would be suspicious if he suddenly loses the abilities he had already gained. At least he has only been taught the basics and nothing more advanced. Can he develop his abilities further?"

"I don't think so. No Hogwart's teacher is willing to give instructions in this area. While the Hogwarts library has no books on the subject, we stole all books Snape has access to and I don't think Dumbledore will let any one touch his books on the topic."

"Did we pass on all the books on the topic to the Granger Institute?"

"I don't think we ask Alice to do so."

"Why don't we ask her to do so when we drop off the books we want her to copy from the Hogwart's library?"

"It is taking us forever to copy the Hogwart's Library even with help from Alice. We need more help. Are you and Emily finished with your experiments in mining? As we need Emily to help with the copying of books if we are going to be finished before we leave Hogwarts. At the rate we are going, not even half the library would be done by the time we leave." Harry asked.

"Why don't you get Doug or Ashley to help you?" Hermione suggested as she enjoyed working with Emily.

"Doug is busy renovating your new home which is almost complete and Ashley is as busy as ever even after she hired those Squibs to help her with the potion making preparation."

"That business is going extremely well in all three countries. We really should start looking for a dedicated site for that business in the US."

"I agree. We really should have a permanent consolidated site in the US for most of our operations. The number of administrative staff we have both in the magical side of things and the non-magical is getting ridiculous."

"But at least it freed up Alice to help you with the library. Why don't you train some of the hunters to help you copy books?"

"The hunters are now working in the import/export business and they are doing a roaring trade so they will not have the time to help us."

"Are we not hiring more staff to cope with the high demand for that business?"

"It takes time to find more quality staff and we are using our existing employees to cope with the workload while we look for more."

"Why don't we pull workers from my parents' house renovation to help out?"

"We can not do that since keeping our operational secrets will be impossible if we use people who have not signed any confidentiality agreements like the construction workers."

"Okay. We will start experimenting in the Chamber of secrets tonight if you will take us. After that I will try to work on a solution to your copying needs."

"It is more like your copying needs as you are more likely to use the library than me."

"Fine. Whatever." Hermione says as continues her research.

The next morning at breakfast. Harry casts some discrete privacy spells before asking Hermione.

"I forgot to ask last night. How did your experiment go?"

"Quiet well actually. We discovered a number of gems and metals that we can sell in America."

"That is good. What did you do with the waste?"

"We put into a trunk to be disposed of. As soon as Voldemort distracts Dumbledore to get the stone, we will move the Vanishing Cabinet I have temporarily stored at the Shrieking Shack to the Chamber of Secrets. It will make things a lot easier to gain access the Chamber of Secrets and to get rid of the trash we generate."

"How can the Vanishing Cabinet fit at the Shrieking Shack? There are now twenty hunters working for us staying at the Shrieking Shack last time I checked."

"They are not all staying at the Shrieking Shack. Most of them are staying in the US as it is a lot more tolerate of people who are different."

"So how do they travel to and from your house?" Harry asks as he realises there is no Floo connection at the Shrieking Shack and frequent portkey use will attract attention.

"They are apparating to and from my home."

"Where are the weapons and armour stored?"

"At the Shrieking Shack in a locked trunk."

"It should be moved to your place. If someone takes the trunk from the Shrieking Shack we will have recourse for reclaiming the lost trunk but if its is at your place then we do."

"Okay. I ask them to move it this weekend."

"Do you think Hagrid has got Norbet yet?"

"I think next week. Why do you ask?"

"I was think that Norbet will be a great gift for the Grangers institute's new farm."

"I feel wrong about stealing Norbet from Hagrid."

"I feel no sympathy for all those people who enable Dumbledore to do what he has done. Hagrid is a prawn to be used by Dumbledore to show how tolerate he is of other magical races which is just one big lie. Remus was a token werewolf and Filch was the token Squib. The worse is Professor McGonagall, she covers up Dumbledore's shortcomings by just doing what he asks without thinking it through. First year first time through, she just dismisses us after we tell her that someone is trying to steal the Philosopher's stone. Second year, she turns a blind eye to fact I am being criticised for being the heir of Slytherin when I was not. Fourth year she does not help me with the Triwizard tournament even though I am younger than all the other contestants and she was my head of house. She also did not punish Draco for those awful badges. Do even get my started on Snape." Harry said with passion as he realised he hated everyone who had lead him astray.

"I can see your point." Hermione said sadly as she use to idolise Professor McGonagall until she realised how misguided the Professor was.

"So everyone who supports Dumbledore is fair game?"

"Okay." Hermione said as she knew that she could not change Harry's mind when he was focused like this.

"So I will create a fake egg to replace the real one. Do you want to come with me on my nightly checks of Hagrid's hut?"

"We don't need to check regularly as the windows will be shut when he does get the dragon egg. But I will go with you when you go to replace the egg. The only reason I agree to this is because I think Hagrid should never have brought the egg into the school when it does not have the facilities or the trained personnel to cope with such a creature. It would safer if I help you move the egg out of the school to the Granger Institute which has both from what we have been told."

At that moment, the owls began delivering the regular morning mail. Harry enjoy watching Dumbledore's face in the morning as more hate mail arrived generated by Rita's series of articles about him. There was nothing he could do to stop it as the ministry backed Rita and any legal action he tried to launch would failed due to the truth behind the articles. It was getting worse as European newspapers and the US newspaper partly owned by the Grangers were beginning to run the same articles.

That morning an owl fly to Hermione and gave her a letter. She rewarded the owl with some bacon. Harry and Hermione both got up and headed to an empty classroom. Harry and Hermione both did not get mail on a regular basis for them to get an owl something important must have happened. The letter looked like normal communication between Hermione and her parents. This way if it was intercepted they would discover nothing important. Hermione said the password which was the Grangers' Institute which revealed the real letter. The letter said.

Dear Hermione and Harry,

Come to our house as soon as you are free. Harry's adoption has hit a snag which we need to discuss as soon as you can.

Love

Dan and Emma Granger.

"We will go your place during the free period after lunch. I will write a letter to Sirius to get him to join us at your place." Harry said hurriedly.

"Okay. It is going to be alright. We will sort it out. There is no way you are going back to the Dursley if I can help it." Hermione reassured Harry. Harry hugged Hermione before rushing off to write the letter to Sirius.

The class before the free period was hell for Harry with him constantly looking at the clock. Hermione seeing Harry's impatience was prepared to leave as soon as the bell rang for the end of class. They raced to the Grangers place right after class. Sirius was already in the lounge waiting for them with a smug look on his face. As soon as he saw them, he hugged them both.

"Where are Mr and Mrs Grangers?" Harry asked anxiously.

"They took the day off and just went out to do some shopping but will be back soon."

"I hope my request did not interrupt your schedule too much."

"Not at all. I was here anyway talking to the girls. They are very nice when they are not too busy. What is this meeting all about?" Sirius states off hand.

"Why don't we wait for the my parents to arrive?" Hermione suggests.

"Okay. So what do you want to talk about in the mean time?" Sirius asks.

"Why the smug look on your face when we arrived?" Harry asks as he tries to distract himself while he impatiently waits for Dan and Emma to come hom.

"I just happy ripping off the purebloods by buying antiques from them at junk prices before selling it to muggles for a fortune. I am glad you suggested I do this. It is fun getting one over all those purebloods."

"Is that what you are doing now?"

"Among other things. I tried dripping my toes into British Magical Politics Arena on your behalf but it did not go down so well since I am considered a blood traitor."

"So the discrimination is not improving even though Amelia has being cleaning up some of the more corrupt members of the Wizengamot." Harry asks even though he was not surprised.

"It is getting worse as the light side fraction has split which makes it easier for the pureblood supremacists to get what they want."

"What are the chances that we can influence them through the media?"

"Doubtful. The British ministry has a lot of control over the British media Outlets. While I am still trying to buy media outlets in Europe to influence the ICW but it is slow going and expensive."

"I still don't understand the purpose of influencing the ICW." Harry said in confusion.

"The ICW can do a number of things to get member countries to change such as curb imports to the UK, ban exports from the UK, make it very difficult for us to travel, prevent British citizens/companies from investing international and a lot of others things that I can not think of at the moment. Why do you think Professor Dumbledore wanted to be the head of such an organisation if it has no power."

"I think we should change tack then. Why don't we try to discover their main sources of income and try to destroy it through competition or making the market obsolete? When their main sources of income is gone. Then if they wish to continue bribing officials then they will start to drawing money from their vaults which rich people are very reluctant to do."

"I see what I can do." Sirius says just as Dan and Emma come walking into the lounge room with bags of shopping. Dobby quickly puts away all the shopping as they greet everyone.

"What happened to my adoption and don't tell me I have to go back to the Dursleys?" Harry asks anxiously.

"We got a rejection letter from the department saying that our accommodation was not suitable for caring for Harry even though we already cleared that hurdle months ago." Dan informed Harry.

"Could it be a surprise inspection?"

"Our lawyers say that they will not do that until our adoption is finalised to check up on us."

"Do you think Dumbledore has made his move?" Harry asks.

"Could be possible. Sirius, do you mind trying to get full custody of Harry?"

"I don't think that is the right course of action. Instead I will begin the process to gain magical guardianship over Harry and Hermione. But I think you, Dan and Emma will make better parents for Harry than I will. So I will investigate the rejection and if it turns out to be the result of magical interference, I will try my best to undo the damage." Sirius says as he begins planning his investigation in his mind.

"So you finally agree to be our magical guardian. What made you change your mind?" Harry asks

"I recently visited the Dursleys to investigate your treatment at their hands and was appalled by what I found. For Dumb as Door to leave you with those animals is criminal and no one should be left in his guardianship if he finds nothing wrong with their behaviour."

"You should work with Lucius Malfoy to ensure that you get our guardianship. Maybe you can work with the reporter, Rita Skeeter, to begin a campaign to remove Dumbledore as the magical guardian of all muggle-born students." Hermione suggests.

"Who should be the magical guardian if not Dumbledore as you need a viable alternative or the purebloods will use it to their advantage?" Sirius asks.

"Maybe the head of their Hogwarts' House or someone the student trusts."

"I think that is possible especially in this climate where Dumbledore is not trusted and Malfoy and Fudge are trying make Dumbledore as powerless as possible."

"Why don't I get Doug to introduce you to Rita tomorrow? So that you can start working with her get that done."

"That sounds great." Sirius says sarcastically.

"Speaking of Doug. How is the renovation going?" Hermione asks her parents.

"All the major work is completed but not the plastering and the decoration of the fireplaces. Doug has banned us from the site since he wants to surprise us with what he is doing. Alice is inspecting it on our behalf to ensure that work is good quality and within the budget we set at the beginning of the project. Do you believe that it is actually on time and budget? Everyone at the surgery said that it was going way over budget and take longer that what was predicted but so far it has not. In fact it has come in under budget. Don't you love magic?" Dan replies quiet happily.

"Do you want one of us to also inspect the renovation site?" Hermione asks.

"No. I trust Alice to keep Doug in line. Anyway all the major work such as the layout of the rooms, the new underground cellar, the underfloor heating, central heating, chandeliers and bathroom fixtures have either been brought or have already been installed." Dan replies.

"That reminds me. Have you connected the house to the power grid and waterworks?" Harry asks.

"No. We wanted all the magical building work to be done first before installing any electronic equipment. The cabling and things in the walls and the floors have been installed but the actual electronics is still missing. Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking of converting one of the outbuildings to provide all your watering needs using magical means. Having it located in an outbuilding will prevent magic from effecting the electronic equipment. While for your power needs I want to recreate a green solution I have a seen before that combines thermal, solar and wind power in one unit." Hermione knew that Harry was talking about something he saw in the future. Since Sirius was there he was reluctant to talk about. So she told the lead by saying.

"I think I know what you talking about. That is a great idea especially since these big houses are known for being expensive to run and maintain. In fact if you add water heated by magical means we could provide enough power for the entire neighbour if we wanted to."

"Why don't you talk to Doug or Alice with your ideas?" Emma suggested.

"I think we should go immediately since it might require an additional tunnel from the underground cellar to these outbuildings so that repairs can be done without having to go outside plus it would provide an escape root in these trouble times." Hermione suggested as she lead Harry out the door in search of Alice.

"I should go as well to begin my investigation. Do you mind if I make a copy of this letter?" Sirius asks the remainder Grangers.

"Not at all." Emma replies as offers the letter for Sirius to copy. After that is done Sirius says his farewells to Dan and Emma Granger before heading to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to talk to Amelia Bones. Sirius is stopped by Amelia's secretary, Ms Lemon.

"Mr Black, you can not go rushing into Ms Bones' office like that without first making an appointment."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Someone as pretty as you should always call me, Sirius."

"Flattery will not get you anywhere with me, Mr Black." Ms Lemon said in a hard tone.

"A man has to try with someone as beautiful as you. Ms Lemon." Sirius says as he leans in close to Ms Lemon.

"Stop before I call security to forcefully remove you from the building." Ms Lemon says as she stands up and points Sirius to the door.

"You don't need to play hard to get. I am already interested." Sirius then strokes her cheek. Amelia then comes out of her office and sees what is happening.

"I will deal with this, Ms Lemon."

"Alright. Are you sure you don't want me to call security?"

"No. Sirius, you old dog. Stop harassing my secretary and get into my office. Have you not heard of floo or owls? If you need to see me please make an appointment with Ms Lemon next time."

"Something suddenly came up which I hope you could help me with." Sirius says as he enters Amelia's office. When he is in the office he turns around to Ms Lemon and says "See you later, beautiful."

"Not if I can help it." Ms Lemon says under her breath.

In Amelia's office, Sirius sits in one of the chairs facing Amelia and gets down to business as he knows she does not like to waste time especially since he is asking for a favour.

"A snag appeared in Harry's muggle adoption that I suspect is due to magical interference."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Amelia asks.

"Help me investigate it using your authority as the head of the DLE."

"You are not going accept no as an answer are you?" Amelia asks as she could see how determined Sirius was.

"No."

"Okay why don't I tell Ms Lemon that I going out before we go pay a visit to this person at the Child services department?"

As soon as they find the author of the letter, Amelia stuns her before scanning her for magical interference.

"This Kyle's magical signature from the Obliviator's department. He is a known supporter of Dumbledore. I think that Fudge will more than willing to allow us to give him truth serum if he thinks we are removing one of Dumbledore's supporters."

"Why don't we remove her memory of this meeting and suggest that she made a mistake with Harry's adoption."

Amelia quickly alters the memory of the child services bureaucrat before she leaves to get the authorisation to dose Kyle with truth serum. While Sirius stays under a disillusionment charm until the official had finished correcting Harry's adoption file. Once it is done he apparates back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for the results of the interrogation of Kyle. He wish he was allowed to attend the actual interrogation but since he is not a law enforcement officer, he is not permitted to be there. Amelia comes into her office where Sirius had been waiting for her arrival.

"How did the interview go?" Sirius asks as soon as he sees her.

"Kyle was Dumbledore's clean up man. He had being obliviating police officers and teachers who have investigated Harry's claim of child abuse on the request from Dumbledore. He also makes sure that Snape is never identified as a death eater."

"What was the reasoning he got from Dumbledore for doing this?"

"He said that Harry was being trained to fight the Dark Lord and Snape was an essential spy for him."

"He believed that rubbish."

"Yes. Some people are just gullible"

"Why did he take so long to act on Harry's case?"

"He was trying to keep his head down but he knew that if he did not act soon it would be too late so he took his chance and it backfired."

"So he is going to jail?"

"No. He is just a misguided fool. So I gave him the option of leaving country immediately without ever communicating with Dumbledore or going to prison for 10 years if he stayed."

"He left the country."

"I believe he is packing his things right now to leave the country as he was scared shitless. Pardon my french."

"Fudge went along with this offer?"

"I am the head of the DMLE. It is my decision, not his but I think he is willing to go along with it."

"Thank you for doing this investigation."

"No problem. I prefer to correcting these instances of injustices whenever I come along it. It makes me think I am doing my part."

"I have to go and tell Harry that his adoption problem has been corrected."

"Good bye. Remember to make an appointment next time."

"I will try. I can not promise that but I will promise to try to remember to make an appointment first next time." Sirius says as he leaves.


	26. Chapter 25 Exams and New Granger home

A/N The invisible coat that Neville got is not the Potter heirloom but a regular one that Dumbledore got him. Harry got back his cloak in chapter 4 (chapter 5 if you include the prologue in the chapter count).

Thank you for all my reviewers especially my regularly reviewers.

Reviews by Sweet Evil Angel, Jedipranster, Afro-Mau5, ceo55, bookaddict19 inspire me by telling me what they like. I can't always add more because if I did try to make it more humorous my storyline would just get lost. I might do a series of one shots as another story of the pranks that Peeves and the Weasley twins do to keep Ron, Neville and Draco away from Harry.

Like tying Ron and Neville's robes together when they are spying on Harry and Hermione near a staircase. Then hooking it on the staircase so when it moves the two are left hanging from the staircase scared shitless.

Or the Weasley twins charming Draco's robes with different slogans like "I am Dumbledor's back door buddy", "Snape is my idol.", "Next Generation of Snape". The embarrassment of the slogans who force Draco to go back to his dorms to get it removed.

Chapter 25

The fortnight before the final exams were hectic for the pair. Participation in Hermione's study group final exam preparation sessions was considered the sign of popularity among the First year Hogwarts students. Draco was only included after his father wrote a plea on his behalf to Harry which they reluctantly agree to after they decided that it is better not to burn any bridges. Ron was banned no matter what he tried to do to get in. Including trying to get the twins to vouch for him which they refuse to do as they know how much Harry and Hermione despised him and his antics. Ron then tried to get Percy to try to crack down on them saying it was an illegal club but Professor Flitwick put a stop to that line of reasoning by giving his approval for the continuation of the study sessions.

Cashing in on the popularity of the exam preparation sessions, Hermione created a competition where the student who provide her the most samples of magical plants for her new "garden" she would allow them entry into these sessions. The competition was run for three weeks and was extremely popular amongst the first year students. It was so popular that some of the current members of their study group also joined in on the competition. To reward the participation by these members Hermione offered the additional prize of an extra hour of one on one theoretical training with her and the same with Harry but focused on the practical aspects of their education. They collected so many different samples of rare and exotic plants that Harry did not even have to raid the glasshouses because they had received a specimen of every single species of plant found at Hogwarts. The Herbology professors at the Granger Institute was ecstatic with the specimens and the books that Hermione had copied on how to nurture the plants. They sent Harry and Hermione a thank you card, flowers and a big bowl of fresh fruit. The competition was won by Neville in the general classification while Padma won the members only category by providing plants specimens native to India. Padma made use of those private sessions by bombarding the pair with a deluge of questions. At the end of the private sessions, Harry and Hermione both vowed never to offer something like that ever again to Ravenclaw students. As they both got migraines from the questions that Padma had asked.

Study group sessions for the final exam was extended to 2 and a half hours per day at the request of the study group members. Discussions on previous sessions were banned as Harry and Hermione wanted to prevent the knowledge that they knew the mind arts from being discovered by the temporary members. Draco without his posse was quiet well behavioured and Neville without Ron was bearable. The sessions were broken down into one hour of Theoretical work lead by Hermione followed by one hour of practical taught by Harry (except Potions which Hermione also lead) and half an hour of question time where anyone could answer. At the end of the first week of final exam preparations Hermione had given a list of fifty questions that they had to answer as homework that included all the exam questions from last time but rephrased. Harry had taught most of the spells required for the final exams based on what they had last time.

When the final exams arrived, Harry and Hermione was not concerned about the performance of any of their friends. In fact after the first exam, a lot of the study group members thanked them for their preparation. Even Draco and Neville thanked them halfway through the exams for the fact that they were so well prepared. They asked if they can become permanent members of their study group. Harry and Hermione politely decline the request saying that it could lead to tensions that they rather avoid. Neville became down cast but accepted their decision. Draco however did not like it one bit. He hated not having the edge over the other students that the study group provided calling Hermione a mudblood and Harry a Blood Traitor as he stormed off.

On the night of the final exams, Harry and Hermione with the help of Doug and Emily moved the Vanishing Cabinet from the Shrieking Shack to the Chamber of Secrets at the same time as Professor Quirrell tried to steal the Philosopher's stone. The next morning their was no mention of the successful relocation of the Vanishing Cabinet by any of the students meaning that it was totally over looked. All talk was centred on the fact that Professor Quirrell died after battling Professor Dumbledore. While Ron and Neville were in the infirmary from being attacked by flying keys and falling from their brooms too many times trying to catch the correct key. Dumbledore announced at dinner that night that Ron and Neville each received 200 points for their house for trying to prevent a thief.

That Saturday was the big reveal of the new Granger residence. Harry and Hermione arrived early with Dan and Emma already awake and ready when they arrived. They were quickly joined by Alice, Emily and Ashley where they talked about the exams that Harry and Hermione just completed while they waited for Doug. At 10 am, Doug finally arrived to show them the fully renovated house. Alice had hired a van to take everyone at the same time to see the property. The first thing they noticed was the electronic gates with intercom for security. As soon as they went through the gates, the perfectly trimmed trees lined either side of the driveway obscuring the magnificent garden that the property had. Upon seeing the garden, Emma grasped and asked.

"Did you expand the grounds? It seems a lot more spacious than when I last came here."

"Yes we brought one hectare of land from the neighbouring farms to restore the estate to something closer to its original size before the previous owners sold parts of it off to pay the land tax."

"How could you afford to pay for such a purchase?" Dan asked.

"Do you know the savings we made from doing things using the magical way?"

"Yes."

"We used that to fund the purchase of the additional land."

"You agreed to this Alice?" Dan asked.

"Yes. You were worried that they were going to sell off the lands destroying the views you had from the house. So we thought this was a good solution to that concern. Did we overstepped the authority you gave us?"

"No. I loved that you two were so thoughtful." Emma said as she hugged Alice and Doug.

Doug then said. "You have not seen anything yet." At that moment, everyone in the van looked in awe at the house that just came into view. It was restored to its former glory. The exterior of the house was predominately Georgian in style with some of the earlier Gothic period features still on display such as stained windows for some of the rooms.

"The house looks great." Hermione exclaims.

"You don't know how many reparo spells were used to achieve repair those walls but it was way cheaper than doing it by the normal way." Dan said.

"Do you like the magical way of renovating, Dad?" Hermione asked.

"By God, yes. It is a lot faster and easier than doing it the normal way. The reparo spell is a godsend and the feather-light spell was invaluable. When the electricians and plumbers came to install the modern features they were amazed at the speed of the renovation."

"You allowed them to see magic. We are in so much trouble." Hermione asked concerned that the secret of magic was inadvertently revealed by her father.

"Do not worry. They did not see anyone do magic. The tradesmen thought it was a brilliantly organised renovation. Doug timed their visits so that nothing magical was done while they were here. He was watching them and cracking the whip when they were slacked off to give them the impression that he was a task master. He was like a conductor of an orchestra." Dan stated from the front passenger seat.

"It was a lot of fun telling those tradesmen to get on with it." Doug added from the seat directly behind Dan. He wanted to sit in the front seat to act as the tour guide (since he could not drive) but Dan refused to let him. So he was stuck in a normal passenger seat explaining features in the garden and the house. Alice was driving them past a newly installed fountain straight to the main doors of the house. She was driving since she had a drivers licence and had previously visited the site so was aware of all of the changes that had been made unlike Dan and Emma.

Everyone got out of the van to admire the house. Dan turned to Doug and asked as they got out of the van.

"Where did you get the stained windows and this glorious fountain?"

"Here and there."

"Tell me you did not steal them."

"I won't."

"You got to take it down now and return them to their rightful owners." Emma said in outrage.

"Just kidding. I did not steal a single thing. You can ask Alice, she checked every item to make sure I did not steal anything. Ashley, Emily, Alice and myself spent most of our free time looking through all the magical books we have collected searching for pictures that show period features like carved marble fireplaces, decorative staircases, ornate ceilings, antique furniture, paintings, architraves, etc.

I would then try to locate the original with help from Sirius. Once I locate it I would either convince the owners to let us buy the originals for galleons, allow us to copy the feature or we have it recreated from the pictures in the books." Doug explained after he finished laughing at Emma, Dan, Hermione and Harry's outrage expressions after his initial comments.

"Who did the recreations?" Emma asked with interest as she admired the fountain.

"It was a variety of artists connected to the Outcast Organisation. They wanted to help make this house was special as they know that it is going to be used to help further their cause. So I recommend you don't show it to any historians or they will have the house heritage listed faster than you can blink an eye. The architraves in the rooms are from different James Stuart design magical houses so Grade 1 listing will practical be guaranteed." Doug further elaborated.

"Wouldn't the experts tell the difference between the new recreations and the originals?" Hermione asked.

"We are talking about magical done recreations that are as close to the originals as it is humanly possible. They would be hard press to find any differences and even if they do it can be put down to restoration work. You are going to see the work of some of the greatest artists in all its original glory including many designs created by James Stuart."

Emma and Hermione practically dragged everyone into the house when Doug said that. As they were being dragged to the ornate doors which Dobby had conveniently opened. Dan asked.

"Who is James Stuart and why is he so important?"

"Dad, he is a famous British Architect and artist. He was a pioneer in the neoclassicism movement that swept England in the 18th century. His house designs are supposedly very grand." Hermione explained.

As soon as they walked into the entrance hall, they could see the beauty was carried through to the interiors of the manor. The house was a perfect union of historical features, period furniture and decorations (such as paintings on the walls) with subtle modern touches such as double glazing, underfloor heating/cooling, electric lights, phones etc.

The central feature of the room was a beautifully decorated marbled framed fireplace with a newly painted non-magical portrait of the four of them just above. Potter family crest could be seen proudly displayed next to the Granger Family Crest periodically through the room. As soon as Harry saw all this he started to cry.

"Harry, we wanted you to feel part of this family which is why you are included in the family painting and your family crest is displayed next to ours. I hope you don't mind." Emma explained.

"I don't mind at all. I love it. Thank you." Harry said as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"There is another reason. In the magical world, the Potter family has a lot of authority and respect by displaying your crest it implies your support. I hope that does it change your opinion." Dan explained. Harry could only shake his head as he was still over taken with emotion. He was part of this family now. Something he always wanted and this was his new home.

While Harry was recovering and the Grangers were examining the entrance hall, Doug commented to Harry.

"You should have been here at the beginning of the renovations. There was a great big debate as to whether to turn this room into a library or not as it is the biggest room in the entire house." Hermione and Emma both gave Doug evil stares. Harry also got the same stares when he laughed at Doug's comment.

Dan then asked Doug to show them around the new house. They started on the ground floor where Doug explained the origins of the different features of the room such as the architraves (at the insistence of Hermione and Emma), the paintings, furniture and etc. Hermione and Emma both had a tendency inspect the various carvings and furniture by softly caressing the various surfaces. This dragged out the tour tremendously at the detriment of Harry and Dan. It reminded Dan of shopping trips he you to have with his wife and daughter.

When they reached the dedicated library which was currently empty. Hermione and Emma both looked at the space with plans already beginning to form on how they will fill this room. It took so long inspecting the ground floor that Dobby had to serve lunch before they start looking at the upper floors, the cellar or the grounds. As Dobby was serving lunch, Hermione said.

"We should hire some more house elves as we don't want to wear poor Dobby out trying to maintain this massive property."

"Dobby don't mind. Dobby loves the work." Dobby said excitedly as he appeared just as Hermione mentioned his name.

"We want you to be happy but we don't want you to work too hard and hurt yourself."

"Dobby is young and strong." Dobby stated proudly.

"Don't you want house elves friends working with you and maybe a family of your own someday?" Hermione said as she continued her campaign to try to change house elves.

"Yes." Dobby said uncertainly.

"You need house elves friends to help you so that you can have time to have a family without leaving Harry. You know how much trouble he can get into when he is left to his own devices" Hermione said as she smiled at Harry. She then continued. "We have a lot of extra work that needs to be done but we have not got you to do it because we did not want to overwork you."

"How many extra house elves do you need?" Dobby said still unsure.

"A lot, you seen the size of this new property, we are keeping the old one and additional work from our businesss we need help with. Do you know of any unbonded house elves or house elves that are being mistreated?"

"A few."

"Why don't you start looking for unbonded house elves to help us?" Hermione said. Dobby immediately popped away and return with 5 house elves. Two in dreadful condition. As soon as Doug saw the house elves he said.

"I can bond with the house elves if you like."

"I don't trust you to treat them properly. Alice, Emily Ashley do you mind bonding with one each while Harry and I will take the sick ones." They all agree straight away. So they started the bonding immediately. Once they were bonded, Dan said.

"Why don't we take them down to the cellar. We have specially designed house elves quarters?"

Hermione looked at her father with surprise.

"How did you know I wanted more house elves?" Hermione asked her father.

"I have heard you talk to Dobby about helping the other house elves and the look in your eyes when you talk to him. Emma has the same look when she gets outraged about something. We want to help and this way you can help them and still live here."

"Thank you, Dad, Mum." Hermione said as she hugged both her parents. The coughing of one of the sick house elves ended the touching moment.

Hermione quickly picked up one of the injured elves while Harry carried the other. They all went down into the cellar past all the wine shelves until they reached the back wall. The back wall was in fact a hidden door to a secret passage way that lead to a second massive kitchen, the house elves quarters, a bomb shelter/panic room, a vault for storing valuables, a library and a large storage room. The passage way also lead to the power generating units and all the outbuildings including the one that provided all the water via magical means.

During this excursion, no one paid any attention to the surroundings they were all focused on the sick elves. Doug apparate away and returned with the magical healer that the Outcast Organisation always use. Who quickly examined all the new house elves. His prognosis for the two sick house elves was good and the other house elves were in great condition. The sick house elves were prescribed a lot of rest and a lot of good food to recover. He left them with the names of potions that will aid their recovery. Hermione ordered the house elves to care for their sick colleagues and to get settled in to their new quarters. This allowed the inspection to recommence.

As soon as Hermione went up the stairs she noticed that the ceilings felt higher than last time. So she asked.

"Did you raise the ceiling?"

"We raised the ceiling of every floor except the ground floor by half a foot to keep the rooms consistent in height. It was a nightmare trying to find stones that match the existing stonework. We ended up replacing one side of the house with all new stones. Then we used the old stones we recovered from that side of the house to add height to the other areas. We had enough old stone to add an extra floor." Doug explained.

The house had a lot bedrooms upstairs even after they converted some of the bedrooms into ensuites or walk in wardrobes. Every bedroom in the house had its own ensuite. Some of these ensuites were ultra modern while others had carried some of the period charm to the fixtures and fittings in the bathroom. When they reach the bedrooms closest to the master bedroom. Dan tapped Doug on the shoulder and whispered.

"I will take over from here if that is alright?" Doug acknowledge it by swiping his arm in front of him.

"Harry, this room is your new permanent bedroom in the house. You are a part of this family now and we want you to feel like it." Harry broke down again as he hugged the Grangers. The bedroom was not the largest but it had its own modern ensuite and walk in wardrobe.

"Hermione has the same size room except we put up a lot of extra book shelves for her."

"We don't want sibling rivalry." Emma added in jest.

At the end of the tour of the upper levels was the master bedroom. It was the grandest of all the bedrooms with its own marble fireplace, walk-in wardrobe and ensuite with a jacuzzi, two person shower and double vanity. After they inspected the master bedroom in minutiae detail Emma announced.

"We expect all of you to come around often to visit and stay."

"You could not keep me away if you wanted to." Doug said partly in jest.

"Since we are expecting you to stay, we are hoping for your help in refining the decorations in the spare bedrooms that you like to use. Except Doug. He can stay in the house elf quarters." Emma said with a straight face until Dan laughed and she could not hold it. Emma continued after she got control over her laugh.

"Just kidding. Doug great work with the house. Why don't we head to the dining room for dinner? We can order in since I don't want to disturb Dobby." At the mention of his name, Dobby appeared.

"Dobby can cook." Dobby stated.

"We don't want to take you away from your sick colleagues." Emma explained.

"Dobby can cook and there are more than enough house elves to look after the sick."

"Okay you can cook dinner for us but only if you have dinner with us."

"Dobby cook dinner now." Dobby then disappeared.

"Why don't we wait in one of the sitting rooms for dinner to be prepared and we can continue with the tour of the grounds and outbuildings tomorrow or after dinner?" Emma suggested.

"Shouldn't we help Dobby with dinner?" Hermione asked.

"NO!" Everyone but Harry responded.

"You don't want to be in the same room as he is when he is cooking. He is very possessive." Emma explained.

Once they were settled in the sitting room. Hermione asked.

"How did the second Auction go?"

"It went great. We made well over 10 million pounds from the auction which is more than cover any tax bill we get plus allow us to buy a lot of media."

Emily, Alice and Ashley were all astonished with the amount of money they made. Doug however could not let such a golden opportunity go. So he said.

"Does that mean we all get raises?"

"No but you will get a smack on the head if you continue. What are going to do with you." Emma said in fake display of frustration.

"Speaking of that. What is Doug going to do now that the renovation has been completed?" Hermione asked.

"Doug has finished with the renovations for a few weeks now. Alice was the one dealing with the final touches and getting the power units Harry designed up and running. He has been helping Emily with the mining techniques ever since you have been busy with school. We were planning to have him start training the new mining employees we getting."

"You brought a gold mine?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Yes. After the successful auction we decided to buy a mining company using money from both the Auction and the joint venture with the Outcast Organisation. The outcast organisation helped us hire a new management team to let go staff and try to retain personnel that have useful skills at the gold mining company we acquired. The latest forecast suggest that the mine operating should be up and fully operational by your birthday, Harry."

"That is great."

Dobby then arrived announcing that dinner was ready. Dinner was served in the formal dining room where conservations turned to different people's past. At the end of dinner it was decided that they would retire for the evening and continue the tour of the beautiful gardens and out buildings some other day. After checking on the house elves one last time, Alice drove them all back to the Grangers old home where they all went their separate ways.

On arriving back at the dorms Harry and Hermione were swarmed by their Ravenclaw year mates.

"Did you hear? " Lisa started excitedly.

Isobel continued it by saying. "There is going to be an official investigation into the death of Professor Quirrell."

Lisa then added. "Professor Dumbledore is mad as hell and has been on the war path ever since. He tried to stop the investigation but failed so he has been looking for the two of you all day. We covered for you as much as possible even though it was not easy."

"Thank you for doing that. Do you know why is he looking for us? Since we had nothing to do with the death or the attempted thief." Hermione said.

"Everyone knows that the two of you do not trust the headmaster. This has lead to the current trend of people not blindly listening to him which he is desperately trying to dis-encourage. It is generally believed that he was going to make an example of the two of you. So keep a low profile you two. I don't want to lose my best teachers." Lisa joked.

"Thank you for the warning and the advise. We will try to keep out of the way and out of sight tomorrow." Harry stated.

"Do you think we should stay around tomorrow in case they need to interview us?" Hermione asked.

"No need. The investigation will begin on Monday. Once the investigation begins then you should be alright because I doubt Professor Dim as a Door would do anything while an official investigation is going on within Hogwarts." Lisa said.

"I like your nickname for him. We are rubbing off on you." Harry said as he wrapped Lisa in a hig.

"We can see why you don't trust him. But we are no where near as bad as the two of you. Calling him, Professor Drumstick up the back door when you are really angry."

"We better get to bed so that we can get up early and avoid the headmaster." Hermione said.

Harry and Hermione said their farewells and retired to bed.


	27. Chapter 26 Progress

Chapter 26

Harry and Hermione got up early to try to avoid Dumbledore and his cronies. They were surprised to see the Weasley twins waiting outside the door of the Ravenclaw common room. Hermione went ahead so that the twins could talk to Harry in private

"Where were you yesterday?" George asked as soon as Hermione left.

"We were looking all over the place for you" Fred stated.

"We almost regret giving you the Marauders' Map."

"I was trying to hide from the headmaster and his cronies. Why were you looking for me?" Harry said.

Fred starts by saying "We have been inundated"

Before George continues and says "with orders. Almost every student wants something"

Fred finishes by saying. "before the school ends. Especially the muggleborn or raised students wanting wizard candy for their muggle siblings or parents as gifts."

George then takes the lead this time and says, "The number of orders more"

"than triple overnight at the completion of exams"

"which was expected. We were already struggling to"

"cope with the influx of orders when late last night you"

"more than triple the list of products you have available"

"at prices better than we can get at the stores."

"Can one of you talk rather than both of you? I am getting neck strain from trying to follow the conservation." Harry complained.

"Sorry." George said.

"Do you mind getting to the point as I want to go into hiding as quickly as possible?"

"Do you mind if we did not release the updated product list until next term?" Fred asked.

"Sure. The product list is just a guide."

"Do you mind if the orders are filled on the hourly basis for the rest of the school year? Especially the items on your old product list like wizard chess sets."

"We will let you know via the magical trunk I gave you."

"For the period you are filling orders on an hourly basis we are willing to give you a bigger share of the profits."

"Why are you so desperate to increase the turn around?"

"We don't want to have a massive amount of unfilled orders when we leave for the holidays. Anyway the greater the turnover, the more profit we make."

"Why don't we discuss how much extra you are willing to pay for this upgrade in service?" Harry said as he led the twins away. They negotiated for a while before reaching an agreement of an extra 7 percent if the hourly order service could be arranged. Harry arrived at the Room of Lost Things with an impatient Hermione waiting for him. She had waited for Harry in case he got caught by Dumbledore and his allies.

"Let's go already. I want to see how the house elves are doing."

"More like you want to see how effective my three in one power generation unit is performing."

"That too." Hermione admitted. She was interested in how effectively/successfully Alice had executed the designs that Harry had made based on what he had remembered from the future.

"You know that Doug is going to be late as usual."

"We don't need him. Alice can show us around since she had a lot of input as well and she was responsible for the finishing touches."

"He and the others worked very hard to complete the renovation. The least you can do is to allow them to show it off."

"I know you are right but I am concerned about the sick house elves."

"You can always ask Dobby how they are doing."

"It is not the same as seeing someone in person."

"You can get Emily to side apparate you over since I need to talk to Alice."

"Enough talking, move faster." Hermione said.

As soon as they arrived at the current home of the Grangers, they went their separate ways. Harry went in search of Alice while Hermione went to see Ashley about the potions for the house elves.

Harry found Alice reading in the tent she and Emily shared.

"Good Morning Alice. Where is Emily?"

"Hi Harry. It is her turn to cook breakfast today."

"I thought that the house elves cook breakfast now."

"Hermione wanted the house elves to settle in and to care for their sick colleagues for the next few days. So we are on our own until they get better as Hermione is scary when she is angry."

"Tell me about." Harry said as he remembered what happened in the hospital room after she found out about the potions and charms.

"So you better go find Emily before Doug arrives looking for food."

"Actually I came to see you, Alice"

"What do you need to see me about?"

"The Weasley twins were wondering if you can spend more time this week to filling orders."

"How much extra time?"

"They were hoping you could fill orders on an hourly basis." Harry then quickly adds. "It is just until the end of the school term which is in a few weeks' time."

"I will do it as much as I can, but my other work comes first."

"Perfectly understandable. Here is a note to be included in the next order you send. By the way, you will be getting an extra 7 percent of the profits."

"That's great; I can always do with the extra money."

"Do you mind me asking what you do with the extra money? You don't have any expensive tastes and you don't pay us rent. Emily is trying to save for a house without borrowing from anyone, Ashley is reinvesting her money into the potion business so that she can have a greater portion of the business going forward and Doug is trying to pay off the loan we gave him."

"I don't mind at all. We are friends as well as work colleagues. Actually I think of you as my little brother half the time and my annoying boss the rest of the time. I hope you are not insulted."

"Not at all, our operation is like a strange family with Doug as Uncle Fester."

"Doug is not all that bad. Getting back to your question, I send my parents as much spare cash I can. They find it hard to find work due to discrimination in the Magical society against Muggle-born and Werewolves, discrimination that you guys are working to eliminate. That is why everyone works really hard even Doug when his sense of humour or greediness is not getting him into trouble. He is behaving that way is because he is scared that it will be all over soon so he wants to make the most of it why it lasts."

"Why don't they work here? That is if you don't mind them working so close with you."

"I would love to work with them, but I was too scared and embarrassed to asked Dan and Emma. Since I already think of you as my little brother, I feel I could talk to you about it."

"Alice, you know that I am available if you need someone to talk to about anything? All you have to do is use the protean coin Hermione gave you to call me."

"Thank you, Harry. About my parents." Alice said hopefully.

"I tell the others that I have provisionally hired your parents. They will all be glad for the extra help. You will still have to organise an interview for them with either Dan or Emma. If everything works out then they can use Doug's old tent until the Grangers move to their new place. It will save on rent and give them some time together."

"Thank You Harry, you won't regret it." Alice said excitedly as she hugged Harry.

"Before you go to owl your parents, could you please tell me what you added to the product list for the Weasley's to sell and why was I not informed of the change?"

"The list now includes everything small and legal that we import from Europe and the US. Plus all the essential supplies required for a Hogwarts' student including books, potion supplies and stationary equipment. Hermione suggested we provide the materials to the students from our international suppliers. Bypassing the Diagon Alley stores we can make it cheaper for the students and increase our profits at the same time. An added bonus is that Diagon Alley stores will really suffer due to the reduced business."

"That is great, especially since Hermione failed to inform me about this suggestion. She won't be able to complain about me making a decision without her. She can be a control freak sometimes. I think we should take the idea further. If we encourage payments in muggle money we can make the British Magical Ministry lose the conversion fee from muggle money to Galleons."

"You need to get the Weasley twins to come aboard with the idea first."

"Why don't you add the British Sterling equivalent for each item in your updated list while I put the suggestion on the note to the Weasley Twins?"

"If we going to screw with the ministry then we should do it probably. To avoid the ministry from tracing these orders back to us, I will get Doug to open an owl box at the magical post office using one of the identification papers that we found among the Riddle stashes. That way people can place the orders and be notified when the ordered had been filled before school starts next school year. Then once school starts, the Weasley twins could fill the orders on the train to Hogwarts."

"That sounds great. As soon as I get back to school I will tell the Weasley twins to give out the new updated product list before school ends."

"Just add it to the note." Alice said as she composed a letter to her parents.

"Great idea." Harry said as he added more information to the note that was to be attached to the next order.

Just as Harry was about to leave Alice said, "I will not be going today for the second viewing of your new home. Harry do you mind telling the others?"

"Why aren't you going?"

"I want to stay here in case my parents come over to discuss the possible job offer. Anyway, I had better get started on the back orders from Weasley Twins."

"Okay. I let the others know. Don't you want to have breakfast before you get started?"

"I'm not hungry. I will probably pick over the leftovers after you all leave."

"I doubt there will be any leftovers after Doug arrives. He can eat a mountain and still keep going."

"Don't worry about me. I can always make something up later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. See you later, Harry."

Harry found Dan, Emma and Ashley in the kitchen having breakfast, which he happily joined. As soon as Hermione and Emily arrived back from visiting the House elves, Harry told everyone about his conservation with Alice. Just as the dishes were being put away, Sirius arrived with two bodyguards. He greeted everyone and asked Harry and Hermione about their exams.

"You finally got some bodyguards" Hermione stated.

"Yes. Your parents convinced me to start employing some bodyguards. They said they are starting a new venture that requires quite a few security guards. So I am trying these ones out for them." Sirius responded.

"Did you hire them personally or did our new joint venture with the Outcast Organisation?"

"They were hired by the new joint venture. Don't worry about your secrets they have signed those cursed employment contracts that you showed Emily and Alice how to do. By the way, how the hell are you making so much money? I originally had a budget of half million galleons to buy media outlets now it is up to 70 million galleons. How the hell are you making money so quickly?"

"We are making money from a number different areas. You know about the auction already as well as the potion making business. Plus, we smartly invest the money that we made. But our biggest money maker is the Basilisk parts."

"Are Basilisk parts that valuable? I have no idea."

"The whole of the Basilisk is very valuable. We are only selling renewable parts of the beast. Like Basilisk's venom or blood. The blood is a highly sort after substance as is a key ingredient in high end cleaners due to its highly corrosive nature. The venom can put down large magical animals such as dragons and griffins, and it also has a host of other purposes that I don't even know about. Basilisk shite is the most sought after fertiliser for magical plants. Basilisk fangs make great weapons, tools to be used in highly corrosive environments, wand cores, high end clothing accessories such as canes, buttons and the list goes on. Finally we come to Basilisk skin, it makes the best armour, but we are not selling it at the moment. If we need money later, we could sell one or two suits of armour for well over 50 thousand galleons each."

"You know the price will go down as you flood the market with the stuff you are getting."

"It has not as of now, and we have been doing this for months now. Our contacts tell us that our merchandise is the highest quality. It is so rare that the companies in Europe are stockpiling it. Every week we have more of it to sell and we are recently netting up to half a million galleons from the sales."

"That is a lot of money. But I suggest that since you are dealing with Europe, you are talking about companies with very deep pockets since they have old family money, like Britain. What are you investing in?"

"We are investing in the derivative markets."

"What are derivative markets?"

"Do you know about stock markets?"

"No not really."

"Okay, the simplest way to describe derivative markets is a market where you can do deals regarding the value of a stake in a company."

"That's way over my head. What sort of returns are you getting?"

"In four months we have made at least 10 times what we initially invested."

"How are you are able to make that kind of money? Goblins can only achieve 10% a year."

"We have sources of information unavailable to Goblins."

"What contracts did you do to make that much money? I want to see if the goblins can match it."

"I will tell you what we did, but not what we are going to do."

"That is fair."

"We had two types of short contracts. The first type of short contract said that the share price of Microsoft, the IT Company, was going to go from US$2.65 to US$2.25. The other type was for Nike, a sports apparel company, and we predicted that the price will also fall from US$9.50 to US$7.10. They are well on the way of actually happening. We predict it will occur within days."

"If your information is that good why don't you sell it to the goblins for a fortune?" Sirius asked.

"I will answer this dad." Hermione said. "We hope to begin negotiating with the goblins soon to get their assistance. Even if they make a mint from the information, they will still not trust us. So we hope to have them over a barrel using our new venture." Hermione explained.

"What is this new venture?"

"We brought a gold mine which should enable us to flood the US magical economy with gold. By doing this we hope to control a significant portion of their economy. This way we could threaten to cease working with the goblins, which will mean they lose a lot business if they do not agree to our terms."

"It seems you don't really trust goblins." Sirius stated. "I thought you were promoting equality for all."

"Equality is our long term goal. Trust need to be established first, and then you can begin understanding what makes you different and what you have in common. For example, we had a verbal agreement with a goblin named, Griphook who reneged on the deal as soon as he got what he wanted. We later found out that goblins only respect written agreements. The fault was ours and we learned from the mistake."

"So what did you learn from that experience?"

"When negotiating with Goblins always put things in writing, show respect, bargain from a position of strength, and never give them free stuff as they despise weakness."

"If you are trying to strengthen your position then you should consider investing for other people. Offering them a guaranteed 15% per return on their money will attract a lot business away from the goblins."

"That's actually a great idea. We can offer the service to Outcast members and our staff for now. The magical business could accept the deposits and provide the withdrawals while the aggregated amount could be considered as a loan to the non-magical business. This way we don't have to let anyone know what we are investing in and the profit we make from investing the funds will be used to help us takeover magical society. Dad, can you organise it?"

"I will talk to the leader of the Outcast movement tomorrow."

"Thanks dad." Hermione said as she kissed her dad on the cheek.

"By the way, where was everyone yesterday?" Sirius asked.

"We went to check out our new home and we are just waiting for Doug to arrive before we continue our tour." Hermione said.

"Is the house that big?"

"It is quite large. Why don't you come with us today? Alice is not coming so we have room in the van."

"I would love to check out your new digs, especially with such pretty company." Sirius says as he takes Hermione's hand and kisses it.

"Why were you looking for us yesterday?" Harry asked.

"Can't I visit my godson?"

"Sirius..." Hermione said threateningly.

"The real reason I was here yesterday was to sort out our holiday plans."

"We were thinking of moving into our new home then going on a new holiday to the US including a visit to the new outcast school. You welcome to come with us to the States." Emma said.

"I wish I could but Dumbledore is putting every type of bureaucratic stumbling block to prevent me gaining magical guardianship of these two. If I am not around, he could stall it for god knows how long." Sirius explains.

"I thought with all the negative press and the various investigations, he will be in the political wilderness."

"He lost a lot of political clout which is why he is not fighting the magical guardianship issue before the Wizengamot. Instead, he is using his knowledge of the inner workings of the Ministry to delay the application as long as possible. His contacts within the ministry cannot stop the process completely as they would then face wrath of the Wizengamot if they do."

"I don't understand how he is still free and holding so many positions of power."

"He has over fifty years to accumulate favours plus he has drained the Potter Accounts dry bribing officials for the last 10 years."

"How did you find out about the Potter Accounts? You are not Harry and you are not his magical guardian."

"One of the requests I made when I applied for magical guardianship of Harry was for his current financial state. When I was getting the run around I decided to use non legal means to obtain the information. It turns out that the Potter family went from being multi-millionaires to being broke in the space of ten years. You can understand why everyone wants to keep the information a secret especially Dumbledore and the officials he had bribed with the Potter fortune."

"We should leak it to the press. They will have a field day with it."

"The British Magical Ministry will definitely act if they do try to publish that type of story in any British publication as it involves too many high up people."

"Why not try the European media?"

"Most will not publish the story since they cannot confirm the facts and the small newspaper I recently purchased on your behalf in France does not have the circulation size to get it traction within the wider community."

"Why buy a small newspaper if it does not have the impact we want?" Hermione concerned that Sirius was wasting money.

"I brought it so we that we can have some experience at running a newspaper and to get the right contacts to be in a position to purchase a bigger newspaper when it comes on the market."

"How is it going finding out about the pureblood sources of income? If we can stop their sources of income they might be forced to sell their interests in the media outlets."

"Not good. They like to hide that sort of information since they know it could become a political target. I think if you can get the goblins to work with us, then we are more likely to be able to find that information out."

"Let's put it on the back burner for now and get back to holiday plans." Hermione suggested much to the relief of Sirius.

"I was hoping to spend some quality time with my godson, teaching him what it means to be a Marauder."

"More like teaching him how to get him in trouble."

"I don't mind." Harry said.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked.

"Yes. He is my last link to my parents and this would be a good chance to find out more about them."

"Okay if you are sure."

"It's settled then, Harry and Sirius will stay in the UK during holidays, while we take a trip to the US."

Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

"Could someone fetch Doug so that we can be on our way?"

Emily retrieved Doug and they quickly arrived at the Grangers new home. As soon as the electronic gates opened to reveal the magnificent gardens, Sirius exclaimed "This is beautiful, A lot better than the Black Manor house I grew up in."

"How does it compare against the pureblood families you seen?" Dan asked.

Sirius responded by saying. "The Malfoys, Notts, Longbottoms, Parkinsons and Rosier family properties which I have personally been to, have bigger and grander homes. But they have the house for generations and they have house elves to help maintain it all. Homes are one of the ways they show off their wealth." Dan was slightly disappointed by the response.

"It is still a great house." Sirius said to try to comfort the disappointment of Dan who wanted a house to impress everyone.

"Dan, why don't you and Doug show Sirius the house, while the girls and I visit the house elves?" Emma said to Dan. Then she turned to Harry. "Harry, are you to going to come with us to visit the house elves or follow the boys?"

"I think I make a quick visit to the house elves before catching up with Sirius and the others."

"Suit yourself."

Harry checked on his sick new house elves before joining the short tour of the house by the guys. Sirius asked on numerous occasions during the tour whether he could move in as well which was knocked back by Dan every time. Well before lunch the boys ended the tour and spent the rest of the time introducing Doug and Sirius to the joys of watching football on TV.

Emma and Hermione were not happy when they went looking for them to tell them that lunch was ready. Lunch was an uncomfortable affair with Emma and Hermione both angry that the boys did not tell them that they completed the tour of the house. They were waiting for them so that everyone could see the outbuildings and grounds together. The tour from yesterday continued with a proper inspection of the cellar and underground chambers quickly followed by the magical sewage system and waterworks. This magical area was located in a secret room of the outbuilding that had been turned into a heated indoor pool.

Using the secret underground passageways again, they went to inspect the power generation unit based on the designs that Harry had created. The power units had oval shaped panels made of special crystal that would heat up the centre cylinder that was the actual solar cell. When the crystals rotate in the wind, it would help spin the generators. All the panels were on a stand because water boils at lower temperature at higher altitudes and there are fewer obstacles to air currents at higher attitudes.

The stands also act as part of the geothermal powering system. Geothermal power is achieved by heating water deep underground. As the water heats up it would rise up in insulated pipes until it reaches the top of the stand where it gets exposed to the elements and begins falling. This movement spins the turbines. The greater the temperature differential between deep underground and the outside environment, meant more power generation. They were all looking at the generators and the batteries that store the electricity that were situated in one of the outbuilding's cellar as Harry explained how it works. Harry then asked Doug how effective the power unit had being operating.

"It has been working extremely well. When we asked the manufacturers of the units about maintenance they told us the purer the water the better. Since we using magically created water which is ultrapure we don't need another maintenance check for 5 years."

"How much power are we generating?"

"We are generating enough power to supply the entire neighbourhood if we wanted to. At the moment, we are charging up the batteries so that we can have emergency supply if the power units fail for some reason."

"That is great; we should create similar units at our new gold mine to provide power to the operation and the local community. It should help offset some of the resentment from the green groups and the mining communities if we do so. In the future we could sell it on a commercial level but I think we have enough on our plate." Everyone agreed with Harry's statement. Hermione and Dan were impressed that Harry had actually thought through already.

The tour continued with a stride through the gardens. It was beautifully kept and you could not tell it was newly put in. Exotic plants from all over the world and amazing statues were sprinkled throughout the garden. The tour ended with the beautifully restored gazebo which was the centre piece of the garden.


	28. Chapter 27 End of First School Year

A/N Thank you Slimer for being my beta.

Response to reviews

Hermione's parents think of Harry as their son since they don't want to think of Harry as their 12 year old daughter's boyfriend and future husband.

Chapter 27 End of the First School Year

The investigation into the battle for the fake Philosopher's Stone was a farce. Dumbledore was able to prove that he acted in self-defence when he accidentally killed Professor Quirrell. He did not say anything about Voldemort possessing the Professor's body since he knew his reputation could not survive such a hit. The obstacles to the stone were swept under the carpet as the Hogwarts's board of trustees did not want the traps to be investigated nor publicised. They had allowed them to remain at the school even after some Professors had requested their removal. The only good thing to come out of the investigation was that Dumbledore was too busy, or too scared, to do anything to Harry or Hermione.

On Thursday, Hermione got an owl from her parents with an urgent message for Harry to go to the old Granger house that evening. Soon a scared and worried pair of Hogwarts students arrived at the old Granger home right after Hermione's nightly study session. They were greeted with total darkness. Harry and Hermione then went on to search for Emily, Ashley and Alice without any success. Cautiously they approached the house with their alternate wands ready; Harry opened the door to the hallway while Hermione covered him. It was dark and silent. Hermione found the torchlight stored near the door and shone it down the hall. It was completely empty; they did not want to turn on the lights in case there were enemies trying to ambush them. As they silently crept down the hall; their hearts were pumping with fear. Just as they opened the door to the lounge room, the lights came on and everyone screamed "Surprise". There was a big banner that read, "Welcome to the Family, HARRY!" Harry and Hermione were ready to kill who ever organised this since it had nearly given them a heart attack.

Dan and Emma came over to greet the pair. "Harry, your non-magical adoption has been completed. We received a letter informing us that the adoption has been finalised. Welcome to the family, Harry."

"You gave as quite a fright."

"It was Sirius' idea. Since you never got any Birthday or Christmas parties growing up, he thought this was something nice we could do for you."

"He could have made this less scary for us. I will have to get him back for this." Harry said just as Sirius came over.

"I would be disappointed if you did not, after all you are the son of a Marauder, for Merlin's sake."

"Does this mean that we can start planning our revenge on the Dursleys?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. But I don't know if that is necessary. Dudley and his gang have already been arrested and are facing trial soon. It seems that without Dumbledore's man protecting the Dursleys, Dudley is finally facing justice." Sirius says as he buffs his nails.

Harry quickly asked "Do you have more details?"

"I had a guy tailing the Dursleys in case Dumbledore tried to intervene so I have all the details. It seems that Amelia had sent someone to reverse the illegal actions of Kyle, the Obliviator. As soon as they had corrected the police officers memories, evidence that had been previously ignored including video footage, was correctly processed. This resulted in the arrest of Dudley from Smeltings followed rapidly by the rest of his gang. The Dursleys were trying to claim you were to blame but this was less than successful since the footage clearly showed Dudley caught in the act of bullying several different victims. They are now friendless as even Vernon's old school buddies have deserted him."

"Does Dumbledore know about my adoption?" Harry asked.

"My agent does not think so. Mrs Figg has not informed him yet, and Kyle used to operate completely independent of Dumbledore. His acted this way so that Dumbledore can truthfully say he has no knowledge of certain events. Even when he does find out about the adoption, it will be too late for him to do anything about it."

"When are we going to formally inform the school of the change?" Harry replied.

"It can wait until the summer holidays, unless you want another confrontation before school is out. If so, it could easily be arranged..." Sirius said mischievously. Harry shuddered at the thought.

"No thank you." Harry said quickly. "How is your application for our magical guardianship going?"

"It is still progressing, but the going is slow. Dumbledore is trying every trick in the book; he even got Arthur and Molly Weasley to apply for magical guardianship. That scheme failed due to the actions of the pureblood supremacist faction. In fact, Lucius Malfoy and I are near an agreement whereby I name Draco as my heir. He would inherit the title of Head of the Ancient and Noble house of Black when I pass away. In return, we all get political protection from the pureblood supremacists."

"What is to stop them from killing you as soon as you sign the agreement?"

"That is what bodyguards are for and I plan to stay in Europe once I sign the agreement." Sirius stated matter of factly.

"That is too much risk. I cannot afford to lose you..." Harry was about to say again when Hermione pulled him into a hug.

"I have to do this. By taking this risk, I can protect my godson and his best friend. I will not let you down again. Remember I am the adult here. If it makes you feel any better, I will even let Hermione help create the contract for us." Sirius says as he winked at Hermione. Hermione in turn whispers to Harry. "Don't worry, Harry. I will make sure that Sirius is well protected."

"Anyway, nothing can be done until I get magical guardianship over the two of you."

"I recommend that you get a house elf to ensure your food or things are not poisoned or cursed." Hermione suggested as an extra level of protection. Her mind was already starting to work out how to phrase the document so that Sirius is protected once the Malfoys are dead.

"That's a great idea. The purebloods I have been dealing with are sure to know how to get some."

"Remember we're trying to promote equal rights for all, including house elves. So wages and no physical punishment for any house elves you find…"

"Anything else?" Sirius asked sarcastically. Sensing the tension between Sirius and Hermione, Emma suggested "Harry, why don't you open your presents?"

"Love to, coming Hermione, Sirius?"

"Coming Harry." Hermione replied as she turned back to Sirius and asked. "Could you find out as much as you can about trading of house elves amongst the purebloods? I will also send you a list of the responsibilities that each house elf owner needs to follow. " Hermione then followed Harry towards the presents.

"I will see what I can do. I will also send you the outline of the preliminary agreement I am trying to establish with the purebloods within the next few days." Sirius stated as he followed the pair towards the presents. There were not many presents but the highlight for Harry had to be the Nimbus 2000 broomstick that Sirius had picked out for him.

"How did you know I wanted a broomstick?" Harry asked Sirius.

"Don't all boys want their own broomstick? Anyway I have to make up for the 10 years' worth of birthday and Christmas presents that I could not give you."

"Thank you, Sirius."

"No problem. Actually, the real reason I got you the broomstick was that I heard Hermione say you missed flying. When did you get a chance to fly?" Sirius asked. Harry and Hermione were slightly taken aback by the unexpected question but quickly recovered.

"One of the older students used to allow me to fly on their broom before Professor Snape put a stop to it. His reasoning was that first years are not allowed brooms." Harry lied.

"Well next year, you won't have borrow broomsticks. You will have your own. Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team next year?"

"I don't think so. I don't like the attention or the divisiveness that house Quidditch games encourage. Flying is what I enjoy."

"But your father would be severely disappointed if you did not try out for the house team." Sirius replied.

"How about this, if Slytherin wins the Quidditch cup next year; I will try out the year after?" Harry said fully knowing, in all likelihood, they would have changed schools by then. The answer seemed to satisfy Sirius, who stopped pushing.

Harry and Hermione then split up to talk to everyone who attended the surprise party. Harry got a surprise when he met Alice's parents. Alice's father had found three time turners, all in need of some slight repairs. They could be easily fixed and used very soon.

Harry called Hermione over before asking Jake, Alice's father. "How did you find them?"

"Ally here was getting me to sort through things from something called the Room of Lost Things when I found these. I gave them to her and she spent a bit of time trying to identify them." Jake explained.

Alice then jumped in and said "Actually dad, you found them in the junk pile. It could have been from the Room of lost things or from the Riddle Stashes."

"Why was it in the trash pile? Doug should have spotted these things."

"Actually he would not have. He was only looking for dark curses, and since time turners are not dark, Doug would not have detected them." Hermione explained. "Jake, how did you manage to find them?"

"Oh, I used a form of magical radar that detects high concentrations of magical energy. I use the technique to find traps when I am hunting or against opponents when I am fighting."

"That is a really useful spell. Do you mind teaching it to me?" Hermione said with excitement at the prospect of learning something new. Jake knew there was no stopping her now so reluctantly gave in and nodded.

Harry turned to Alice and said "They are doing great already. There was nothing to fear, in fact I thing this deserves a bonus. I will talk to Hermione and Dan about it."

Hermione spent the rest of the evening learning the various spells that Jake had picked up throughout his life.

On the morning of last day of term, Harry was called to the Headmaster's office. Hermione ensured that Harry has every protection possible (including the mind protection glasses) and everything was in top condition. Harry nervously headed to the office fearing that Dumbledore had discovered his adoption by the Grangers. As soon as he entered the room, Harry felt a touch on his mental shields and he recognised it as Dumbledore's attempt to use passive Legilimency. Harry was disappointed that Dumbledore had not tried it for longer or he could have put him under a hypnotic trance.

"Harry, why don't you have a seat?" Dumbledore asked in a grandfatherly manner.

"I prefer to stand, Sir. What is this about?" Harry asked impatiently.

"I am wondering what your summer plans are?"

"Why is it any of your business, sir?"

"I know you just found your godfather, but I must warn you to avoid contacting him."

"Why should I avoid contacting him, he is my godfather after all?"

"I believe he has turned dark from his time in prison. You do know that he is now working with former Death Eaters such as Lucius Malfoy."

"Death eaters whom you decided not to punish. I have read those newspaper reports about you." Harry replied angrily.

"I did no such thing! Anything you may have recently read in the newspaper about me is all lies!" Dumbledore said indignantly.

"If they are all lies, then why hasn't the newspaper printed a retraction?"

"It is just a matter of time before they do so." Dumbledore lied knowing full well he did not have a leg to stand on.

"Anyway what right do you have to forbid me from meeting with my godfather?"

"I am your magical guardian."

"Not for long. Sirius is well on his way towards getting my magical guardianship."

"But I am your magical guardian right now, and I forbid you from seeing him."

"Having magical guardianship does not entitle you to that. This type of matter falls under the jurisdiction of my non-magical guardianship, which you do not have." Harry said as he stormed out of the office while Dumbledore yelled, "Come back here. I am not finished with you!"

Harry felt several spells hit him and bounce off his Basilisk armour. He knew that Dumbledore was going to wonder why his spells had no effect on Harry, but he did not care. He was just too angry.

Hermione saw how angry Harry was and asked "What happened?"

"Dumbledore tried to play his usual games." Hermione then pulled Harry into a hug. She knew how much restraint it took not to kill him. They needed his reputation ruined soon or he would become a martyr for the misguided followers of his cause.

"Does he know about your adoption?" Hermione inquired.

"I don't think so but I was not their long enough to find out."

"At least there is that."

"I am going to move my stuff to your place before sneaking on the train. In all likelihood Dumbledore will try to detain me if I am seen. So I will see you on the train."

,

"It is our place; you are now part of my family. I will see you on the train." Hermione said as she released Harry from her hug so that he can go.

Professor McGonagall and Snape were on the platform looking for Harry. When they spotted Hermione, who had deliberately arrived late, they made a beeline straight for her.

"Have you seen Mr Potter anywhere, Miss Granger?"

"Sorry, Professors I have not."

The professors knew that they could not detain Hermione without her missing the train. So they let her go.

As soon as the train started moving, Harry removed the invisibility cloak he used and looked for Hermione. As soon as he started searching for Hermione, Harry ran into the Weasley twins. They dragged him into an empty cabin.

"Hello partner." Twin one said.

Twin two then said "Hello buddy."

"What seems to be the problem, guys?"

"We don't know what to do." Twin one says.

"We have all this money we made..."

"From our joint venture. Our family..."

"Is not well off and our agreement forbids us"

"From telling anyone about..."

"Our venture. But we wish..."

"To help our family. So we were wondering..."

"If you would allow us..."

"To tell our family?"

"Sorry you guys but that is a definite no-no. They would tell Dumb-n-Dork immediately. The venture would be terminated and you guys will be cursed. You signed the agreement."

"So what can we do?" One of the twins said in frustration.

"How have you been keeping your brothers Percy and Ron quiet about our venture?"

"We got Hermione to make those magical contracts where they got some money in return for their silence. Ron spent it all on sweets while Percy has saved his. So Percy could potentially get out of the contract but not Ron."

"How about you tell your parents that you started your own owl order joke shop business? I heard that you want to start one in the future why not say you already started."

"That's brilliant. She might be unhappy that we don't study but with the amount of money we are making, she can't really complain about us wasting our futures. Mum might even allow us to perform our experiments at home. This is going to be great."

"You know that if you do, you cannot show them the order list you have."

"Why not?"

"Because they will ask where that list came from which is going to lead to an investigation back to you."

"You're right."

"As an added bonus, by doing what I suggested, if any of our customers try to floo or owl you, they would think it's just the joke store."

"We better talk to our brothers to get them to agree."

"Don't you have a sister coming to Hogwarts next year?"

"We forgot. We got to talk to our brothers and then see Hermione about another magical contract." one of the twins said as they left.

Harry found Hermione with Susan and some of their other friends. The rest of the train ride was uneventful and Weasley twins got Hermione to make a magical contract for their sister. Surprisingly, Dumbledore had not sent anyone to intercept Harry once he reached Kings Cross Station. Harry knew that he was going to get it once he returned to school next term should Sirius fail to gain his magical guardianship.

Harry and Hermione were met by Dan and Emma Granger along with Sirius. Sirius was getting lots of suspicious looks from the other parents that were waiting for their children. People were still not used to Sirius being innocent of the Potter betrayal and the Muggle killings. This did not phase Sirius one bit; in fact he enjoyed the attention his notoriety was getting him. Occasionally, he would scare the younger siblings of the returning students.


	29. Chapter 28 Beginning of Summer Holidays

Chapter 28 Beginning of Summer Holidays

The first full day of the summer holidays for Harry and Hermione began early with Emma waking them.

"It is the first day of summer holidays. Couldn't you let us sleep in for once?" A sleepy Harry complained after greeting everyone.

"We are going clothes shopping. You don't have any summer clothes." Emma explained. Hermione, like most girls the world over perked up at thought of shopping. Harry hung his head like he had just been given a death sentence. The thought of shopping with two females was going to be tedious.

"That still does not explain why we had got up so early for it." Harry said. Dan could only offer him a sympathetic look.

"We are getting suits and dresses made for the charity events that you made us attend. If I am going those things then you two are going as well." Emma said forcefully. She gave them no room to debate. Dan took that as his cue and tried to sneak away before he got roped in as well.

"Honey, you are coming too." Emma said. Dan gave up, knowing that he was caught.

"Why do I have to go? I have a perfectly good Tux for those events."

"You will not embarrass us by wearing the same tux to all those events."

"How many events are we going to?" Harry asked.

"We have eight confirmed, and quite a few others in the process of being organised." Emma said after consulting her diary. Dan and Harry's face fell at the thought of all those boring functions…

"Is Sirius going to be attending any of them?"

"I don't think Sirius would fit in. The attendees of these events are all non-magical and I don't believe Sirius could successfully hide the fact that he was magical. Otherwise, I would make him attend as well." Emma explained.

Both Harry and Dan said under their breaths. "Lucky bastard."

"I think that it is for the best. Just image, Sirius hitting on some of the old family matriarchs, getting thrown from the venue, and then banned for life..." Hermione explained. Emma cringed at the mental image while Harry and Dan quickly started formulating ways of getting kicked out. Seeing the looks on their faces, Emma quickly said in a threatening manner.

"If either of you gets kicked out, there will be trouble when you get home." Dan and Harry both shelved the plans they were developing.

Before long, Harry and Dan were being measured by tailors or trying different things on to show the girls. Appointments were being made for future fittings and for the collection of completed clothing without consulting with either Dan or Harry. After lunch, all the boys did was waiting around or carrying the shopping bags. Harry desperately wanted to give the bags to one of the house elves to take home but he was too scared of Hermione to do so. By the end of the day both Harry and Dan were loaded with shopping and finally they went home. Dan and Harry developed a friendship during the shopping trip. The mutual torture they endured helped bring them closer together.

A few days later, Sirius came over. It happened to be the day after Hermione and her parents had finished moving with the help of the recovered house elves.

"We haven't seen you for a few days. I thought you wanted to spend some time with Harry or were you too scared that we would get you to help us move because you did not have to worry?." Emma said after Sirius greeted everyone.

"I am disappointed in you. Do you have such a low opinion of me that you think I would not be willing to help out?" Sirius said while making an exaggerated disappointed face.

"We know you." Everyone said at the same time which caused everyone to laugh. When Hermione recovered, she said "We know what lengths you would go to avoid actual work."

"You are so cruel. Maybe I won't give you the big news I have."

"What big news?" Harry said with interest.

"I got your magical guardianship, Hermione." Sirius said matter-of-factly, like it was common knowledge already. Hermione leaped into Sirius's arms to hug him in celebration.

"Are you serious?"

"That is my name; don't wear it out."

"Stop it with that joke already and give me a straight answer."

"Yes. I got your magical guardianship this morning."

"What about mine?" Harry asked.

"Sorry but Dumbledore is fighting it tooth and nail. His latest ploy was try to pass a law that made it illegal for an ex-prisoner from obtaining magical guardianship over a minor. Luckily Lucius spotted the law before it could be passed or else Dumbledore would have won since it would have disqualified me from getting magical guardianship of anyone. After that law failed, he stopped fighting for Hermione's guardianship."

"Good work. It was lucky that we had that agreement with Lucius. He is really a political genius." Hermione said with a little admiration of Lucius' skill.

Harry whispered to Hermione "Another reason to get rid of him. Once he is gone the purebloods will miss his abilities."

"That is why I have been busy the last few days. I have dealt with issues that Dumbledore kept bringing up such as questioning my mental and medical fitness. I don't know how many medical examinations I had to endure because of the two of you." Sirius says with a shudder as he remembered some of the recent experiences had with the medical profession.

Harry and Hermione hugged him and said "Thank you, Sirius."

"All this fighting should slow soon since Dumbledore has to attend some ICW meetings. He should be too busy to make trouble for us."

"Speaking of ICW, how much progress have you made in destroying his reputation on the international political arena?"

"Quite a bit actually, I put quite bit of money into the little newspaper I brought. As a result, the percentage share of the newspaper is steadily growing. We have started to distribute it in other French speaking countries, and it has made an immediate impact. In some areas of France and Belgium, they are pushing for Dumbledore to compensate them for the destruction that his friend Gellert caused during WWII. These same people used to admire him. Some of the statues of him have been destroyed and one statue which used to show him standing over a defeated Gellert has been changed to show him in bed with Gellert."

"I would like to see Dumbledore's reaction when he sees those statues." Hermione says.

"You and me both..." Sirius adds.

"So you have not been able to buy more media outlets?" Harry asked.

"Not yet. I am on the lookout but nothing at the moment. I have heard that the Outcast Organisation has had some success in America and in Asia. Europe is a totally different beast, the media owners are very entrenched and so any changes in media ownership only come around once in a blue moon."

"So no change in Europe and we will find out about America and Asia when we visit the Granger Institute. I still find it funny to have a school named after us. Does anyone else feel the same?" Dan commented. Everyone agreed that it does feel weird.

Sirius then said "At least it was not named after you Harry. Can you image the Boy Who Lived School of Magic or BWL School of Magic?" Hermione then adds.

"Where the school is run by two Dark Lords trying to kill off the students…" Harry's stomach happened to growl at that moment.

"I think Harry's tummy did not like our joke" said Sirius, which caused everyone to burst out laughing.

"Are you going to stay for lunch, Sirius?" Emma asks as she calls for Dobby.

"I would love to, Emma. Having lunch with you two lovely ladies will be preferable to eating in the shark pool that is the Ministry Cafeteria."

Lunch was an enjoyable affair for everyone. Sirius talked about the pranks the Marauders used to pull during his Hogwarts days. Dan and Emma talked about the accidents their patients would get into which resulted in them needing their services. They did not disclose any names but did talk about the accidents in general. For example, Dan told a story about a patient that came in with all his teeth shattered. When Dan looked at the admittance form, he had to bite his lip so as not to laugh at the guy's predicament. It turned out that the guy was using a jack hammer when his work mate slapped him on his back. This caused him to fall forward shattering his teeth on the jack hammer in the process. It took Dan quite a while to compose himself before he could help his poor patient.

Just as Sirius was about to leave he said. "By the way, Dumbledore is looking for you, Harry."

"How do you know that he is looking for me?" Harry asked.

"I have sort of hired Remus to move some of the merchandise I have brought or sold. He asked me if I knew where you were."

"Are you crazy? Do you want Dumbledore to know everything we are trying to accomplish? Hiring Remus is practically the same as telling Dumbledore everything that we are doing. You know what happened to us when we trusted him."

"I know that is why I only communicate with him via owl and never through direct contact or floo. I felt sorry for him since he is unable find normal work due to his condition. That is why I hired him. Aren't you trying to promote tolerance?"

"We are all about giving people opportunities but Remus has used up all his chances with us. Besides, he still has not paid us back yet."

"Why don't you give him one more chance for me? I will even pay back the money he owes on his behalf." Sirius pleaded as he missed his friend. However, he could understand why they didn't want him around.

"Okay, for you, we will give him one more chance but it will be after you get Harry's magical guardianship. You have to have a talk with him and explain what he did wrong." Hermione finally said after conferring with the others.

"That is great. You will not regret it." Sirius said excitedly.

"We better not." Hermione said threateningly.

"I will see you all later. 'Till next time, au revoir ladies" Sirius said with a formal bow before apparating away.

"What are we going to do about Dumbledore's latest move?" Hermione asked as soon as Sirius had left.

"We need to put our old home under the Fidelius charm as quickly as possible. Everyone knew where it was and it could reveal our entire operation to Dumbledore." Emma said.

"Agreed, Harry can cast the charm with the Elder Wand. Who are going to get as the secret keeper?" Hermione asks.

"Alice, Ashley and Emily are out because they will be living there. We don't trust Doug or the Outcast leader enough to make them our secret keeper. Sirius does not know enough about our operation to be suitable. Mr and Mrs Granger, you both cannot be the secret keeper as you need magic. That leaves you, Hermione" Harry said out loud, as he tried to work out who would be the best secret keeper for the Grangers old home.

"Actually there is another option, one of the house elves could act as our secret keeper. I was thinking Dobby since he has proven his worth many times over."

"That is a great idea. Dobby can pop over to whoever we need to tell the location to even when we at school. Do you agree to have Dobby as your secret keeper, Mr and Mrs Granger?" Harry asked excitedly.

"I agree that is a fantastic idea. We love Dobby, he has been a great help. Harry dear, you should call us, Dan and Emma or Mum and Dad." Emma said.

"I will try to remember to call you Dan and Emma but since I never had parents. Saying Mum and Dad seems too weird to me."

"That is alright." Emma said as she hugged Harry. She knew how unpleasant his upbringing was.

Hermione called out for Dobby.

"Yes, Miss Granger." Dobby said after popping in.

"We are putting our old home under a Fidelius charm and we wondering if you are willing to be our secret keeper. It will be dangerous being the secret keeper and you can say no."

"Miss Granger, trust me. A house elf to be your secret keeper, I would be honoured." Dobby said as he was overcome with emotion at the faith that they were putting on his shoulders.

"We need to talk about a few things before we go to our old home to cast the charm. We will call you when we are ready if that is okay with you."

"That is fine, Miss Granger." Dobby said while still overcome with emotion. Then he popped away.

Harry and Hermione discussed how to actually cast the spell before getting Alice and her mother to side apparate them to the old Granger house. After they were done with the charm, Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma had a family meeting about what additional steps they need to take to counteract Dumbledore's latest move.

"Should we put wards around the house?" Dan asked.

"No, it would interfere with anything electrical in the house. You need your computer and I could not make you miss your weekly dose of football." Hermione said. Dan quickly agreed as the thought of missing the match of the day made him shudder.

"How many security guards do we have on staff now?" Hermione asked.

"Twenty one but we are training them up with both magical training and normal military training." Emma replied.

"Are we hiring more? We need a lot more once the gold mining operation gets going."

"We are trying to hire more but it takes time for find the right people."

"It should not be too hard to find good people to work as security guards when you can search the entire world." Hermione complained.

"Stop being so rude and demanding Hermione Jane Granger. We are trying to help you. It takes time to interview these people. The management team is only sending the best applicants as they know we do not have the time to interview them all. Besides, we can only select people who can communicate in English, which is not the entire world."

"Alright, maybe we should start to poach people from the various law enforcement agencies around the world. We need a strong army when the purebloods finally do retaliate or we take it to them."

"Okay. I suggest we start poaching from other businesses or government agencies. We have been avoiding doing so at the moment since we don't want a confrontation."

"Start off slowly. As we build up power they will be less likely to try to do anything to us."

"That is what we have been trying to do." Emma said in frustration.

"No you have not been doing that. Instead you have tried to avoid confrontation all together which is impossible when you run a business. This getting us nowhere arguing about something that has already happened..." Hermione said as everyone tried to calm down. She then continued by saying.

"Let's try to approach the problem differently. If we train some of our other employees like the miners and hunters as part-time security forces then we can have a bigger team to repel any hostile moves the opposition could try to do. Another added advantage is that it will allow for job rotation making it more interesting for our employees."

"I will offer training to all our employees tomorrow." Emma said as she did not like arguing with her daughter.

"Getting back to security for Harry, I think we should have a team of 4 security guards protecting us at all times with the pack of hunters on alert in case Harry gets kidnapped." Hermione suggested.

"That sounds reasonable. Harry maybe you should stay home as much as possible. It would make you a harder target for them to find and kidnap." Emma advised. Harry nodded his head indicating his acceptance of the request.

"How about the charity events?" Dan asked as he is jealous at the thought that Harry was going to be able to escape those tedious events.

"I doubt Dumbledore's people are going to be willing to do anything around all those non-magical people." Emma replies.

"Speaking of Dumbledore's people, we should find out what they are doing and finally deal with Mundungus." Harry suggested.

"I will get Alice's Father Jake to ask around for us. When we locate the little thief, why don't we use it as a training exercise for our new security team to detain him?" Dan suggested.

"Make sure they bring him here as I want to interrogate him personally." Harry said.

The next day, they had Mundungus chained in the cellar with no wand. It was very easy to locate him and he was drunk at time they had picked him up. Harry woke him up by chucking a bucket of ice water at Mundungus.

"What the hell? Where the hell am I?"

"I am asking the questions here." Harry stated while he poured truth serum down Mundungus' throat. Mundungus struggled and tried to resist drinking the serum but was soon overpowered by Harry. Once the truth serum took hold, Harry asked. "Why are you not in jail even though everyone knows you steal?"

"I am protected by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Professor Dumbledore." Mundungus said proudly.

"Why would Dumbledore protect you?"

"I get him things that are hard to find, illegal or he does not want his name associated with. Plus I also help him sell things on the sly for him."

"Can you list what you done for him?"

"No. Since I drink so much, I cannot remember any details. I think that is one of the reasons why he keeps me around."

"Have you been to his home outside of Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I go there often to drop stuff I brought off."

"Can you tell me where it is?"

"No, it is under a Fidelius charm." Mundungus replied. Harry then decided that since Dumbledore stole from him he was going to steal from Dumbledore in return. As an added bonus they can see if their portkey targeting charm can work through the Fidelius charm.

Harry then interrogated Mundungus further trying to find out everything he knows from where to get illegal potion ingredients, locations of rich clients and etc. After he was done, Harry removed all the recent memories from Mundungus before putting the portkey targeting charm on him using the death stick he had stolen from Dumbledore. He then used Voldemort's wand to imperio Mundungus to go to Dumbledore's home for half an hour before returning here.

Harry then got one of the biggest empty trunks he could find plus all the tools he would need to take down any wards he would encounter. Once Harry thought he had given Mundungus enough time to get to Dumbledore's hidden home, he portkeys to Mundungus' location.

The room he arrived in was plain with nothing valuable anywhere in sight. It appeared to be a sitting room of some kind with a two couches. Harry stunned Mundungus on arrival before doing a scan of the area for wards. It turned out that this room was warded from the rest of the house. Harry made quick work dismantling the ward structure so that he had free access to the rest of the house. After he removed all the wards, he called Dobby.

"Dobby, can you and the other house elves remove everything in this house to the sorting tent at the old Granger home."

"Can do Mr Potter, Sir." Dobby replied. A little later, Dobby popped in looking nervous.

"What is wrong, Dobby?" Harry asked.

"The sorting tent is full, Mr Potter, Sir."

"Has Emily, Alice and the library been moved into the main house yet?"

"They have, Sir."

"Ask them if it is alright if we use their old tent for additional storage." Harry suggested. Dobby popped away to ask and came back.

"They said it is alright."

"Move the stuff you cannot fit in the sorting tent to their old tent and inform Jake, Alice's father, that we have a lot extra unsorted stuff."

"Will do, sir." Dobby said. Just before Dobby pops away Harry asked "What is taking up so much room?"

"The house has an enormous library, sir." Dobby replied. Harry immediate thought he had better inform Hermione and Alice or else they would kill him.

"Can you tell Alice that we received a massive load of books?" Harry said. Dobby popped away to carry out his orders but returned a little later after he had completed everything.

"We are done." Dobby announced.

"Thank you, Dobby. That will be all for now." Harry said. Once Dobby popped away, Harry removed Mundungus' recent memory, lifted the imperio, and put in a suggestion to rob the Apothecary. He released him in an empty room at the Leaky Cauldron. He then went back to the now fully revealed home of Dumbledore and proceeded to burn the place down with Voldemort's wand. To ensure that everything was burnt to the ground, Harry used Fiendfyre after putting a notice me not ward around the place. The notice me not ward was created using the Elder Wand. It would fall after all traces of magic from Voldemort's wand had dissipated.

Harry then went back to the new Granger home and used one of the time turners to go back to when the interrogation of Mundungus began. This ensured he had an alibi for the time when Dumbledore's home was destroyed. Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma all went to the local primary school to give them 50 thousand pounds to improve their facilities. They all had lunch with the students and the teachers with reporters capturing the entire event on camera.


	30. Chapter 29 Kidnapping

A/N A BIG THANK YOU to my new beta Slimer.

Merry Christmas everyone. I appreciate all the positive reviews that I have got. It helps me get over writers block.

Thank you for reading. I will publish my next chapter sometime between Christmas and New Year.

Chapter 29 Kidnapping

A few nights after the Dumbledore house blaze, Harry was woken by someone's attempt to stun him. The spell failed since Harry had taken to wearing his basilisk armour everywhere including to bed.

Using the element of surprise at the failure of their stunning spell, Harry quickly rolled out of bed and away from his attackers who were trying to grab him. One of the attackers pocketed the phoenix wand that Harry had deliberately left on the side table to fool attackers into thinking he was unarmed. Seeing that the stunning spell did not work, the two attackers decide to physically overpower Harry rather than use magic.

As soon as the attackers were within arm's length, Harry revealed the two wands he had on his person and shot stunners at both of the attackers. One went down but the other was able to avoid the attack. Harry then used the Elder wand to re-stun the downed attacker as a precaution. Using the elder wand meant that the other attacker could not wake him.

After that it became a pitched battle between Harry and the remaining attacker. The attacker was desperately trying to get to his fallen colleague in hopes of retreat, but Harry was having none of it. He was trading spells with the attacker while calling for help.

The attacker finally reached his fallen comrade. When he tried to activate his portkey, nothing happened. At that moment, the attacker knew he was screwed. So left his colleague and fled to the door. As he opened the door, the attacker was stunned by Hermione.

Hermione pulled off the attacker's mask to reveal Ex Auror Moody which was no surprise since his wooden leg was a dead giveaway. Harry removed the mask of the other attacker to find Active Auror Shacklebolt. They both hated Kingsley Shacklebolt since as a minister of magic he allowed the purebloods to further strengthen their stranglehold over the magical government while saying he was promoting muggleborn rights. He was the biggest hypocrite and operated the same way as Dumbledore. In affect he was the successor of Dumbledore. The fact Dumbledore sent his two best people indicated just how desperate Dumbledore had become.

Hermione took the glass eye off Moody and cast a few spells to detect what charms were placed on the eye. Hermione took a piece of parchment and starting writing down the spells placed on the eye so that they could replicate them later on a pair of normal glasses. Once Hermione was done she passed the eye to Harry and said. "Harry do you mind using the Elder Wand to remove all the spells on the eye? I want to make it so that Moody's eye cannot see through your invisibility cloak."

"I wish we did the same to Dumbledore's glasses when we had the chance." Harry replied.

"I know but you were not thinking right and I was concerned about you losing your temper at the time." Hermione replied. Harry started removing every charm that had been placed on the eye. Hermione then turned to the guards that just arrived.

"Why did it take you so long to respond?" Hermione demanded.

"We were stunned and just recovered." One of the guards said, hoping to justify their late response.

"Weren't you wearing your armour?" Hermione asked.

"It gets hot in the armour."

"Then place a cooling spell on the lining. As punishment for your slow response, you will have to strip these two attackers manually. Remember to remove this guy's fake leg, as it is a wand. Once you are done leave them naked in the cellar where we held Mundungus." Hermione suggested.

"Yes, Madam." The guards responded.

"If they escape because you did not thoroughly search them for magical items then I am going to very pissed off." Hermione said threateningly. The guards quickly started stripping the two attackers.

"Do you want to lead the interrogation or should I?" Harry asked.

"Why don't you take Moody and I will take Kingsley?" Hermione suggested.

"I don't think that is a good idea, Moody is a very tricky character. To keep him off balance we should tackle him together."

"Maybe we should use that new truth serum Ashley developed. It makes them tell you the truth but also relaxes their will. So they would volunteer extra information that they believe you want."

"Why didn't you tell me about it before I interrogated Mundungus?"

"It is experimental and has not tested on humans before."

"Are you sure it is safe now?"

"Yes. We used the room of requirement to do further testing and the results are very promising. Besides, if they have an adverse reaction and they die; we could easily claim we were just defending ourselves." Hermione said. She really wanted to test the new truth serum. They went down to the cellars to check on their prisoners. Kingsley was alright but Moody had a swollen mouth. Hermione said to one of the guards. "What happened to Moody?"

"He had an emergency portkey in one of his teeth. We had to pull out the tooth so that he couldn't escape."

"Okay. Could someone give him a healing potion for his swollen mouth? We need to question him and we can't do that if his mouth is swollen. Use this time turner if you need to."

"We will do it right away." The guard said as he left. Hermione turned to Harry and said.

"I guess we are starting with Kingsley then."

They feed Kingsley Shacklebolt the modified truth serum.

"Please state your name." Hermione said.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt. I am a Senior Auror with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Why did you attack Harry?"

"Dumbledore was getting mad. Things that he had carefully hidden have been exposed to the general public. He is scared that if he does not get Harry under his control, he could very well end up in prison. So he ordered us to take Harry into his custody so that he could question him. We would then return him to his abusive relatives to make him more humble."

"Why does Dumbledore want to question Harry?"

"He suspects that Harry is responsible for his recent troubles with the media and the destruction of his home. If it turns out to be true, then Dumbledore plans to blackmail Harry into using his reputation for to benefit Dumbledore."

"Why are you helping Dumbledore?"

"We share similar beliefs and he helped me to my current position in the Auror forces."

"Why did you risk your position by trying to kidnap Harry from his legal guardians?"

"Dumbledore said he would take care of everything once Harry was safely back at the Dursleys. I believed him and with Moody as my partner I thought there was no way we could fail. Now that the plan failed miserably, Dumbledore would not stick out his neck for us. So we will be on our own to face kidnapping charges."

"When did Dumbledore find out that Harry was not staying with the Dursleys?"

"A couple of days after the holidays began his spy Mrs Figg informed him that Harry never arrived. Dumbledore went off to investigate and found out that Dudley was in juvenile detention. He did not expect that to happen so he started to dig deeper. When he found out that his deep undercover ministry official turned up missing, he was ready to blow his top off. The portraits in the Headmasters office were terrified of Dumbledore when we reported that no one could find a trace of the guy. That is when he switched his focus to Harry. Everyone was glad when that happened because we hoped that he would take out his frustration out on Harry rather than us."

"How did you find us?"

"Remus found out from one of the magical builders you hired to renovate this place. He was trolling through all the bars when he came across them discussing your renovation."

"Did you know what happened when Dumbledore found out that he lost his home?"

"According to Professor McGonagall, he found out just after a training session with Neville. By the time he finally made it to his house, it was totally destroyed with no magical signatures left anywhere for him to use to trace the culprits. He was more pissed at the lost all those books than he was at losing his house. He never stops whining about the books."

Harry and Hermione continued the interrogation for a couple of hours focusing on Dumbledore's reactions and any plans that Kingsley knew about. Then they proceeded to question Mad Eye Moody. He confirmed everything the Kingsley told them. It was morning when they finally finished their interrogations. After having their memories of the interrogations removed, Harry stunned them and called Doug.

"These two prisoners tried to attack us last night. I want you to drop the two prisoners off in a muggle area. We want to embarrass them so I think maybe leave them at a gay bar."

"Do you want me to dress them first?" Doug asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"That's up to you and I leave those details to you." Harry replied tired from the long night of interrogation. As soon as Doug left with the two prisoners, Harry went to bed to take a nap.

A few days later an excited Sirius pop over for dinner.

"What got you so excited?" Harry asked.

"I just got your magical guardianship." Sirius announced. Harry hugged Sirius and then Hermione. Dan and Emma got some Champagne for them to celebrate with.

"I thought you said it was going to take longer than this to get my magical guardianship?" Harry asked in curiosity.

"It was supposed to take longer but everything changed after an embarrassing incident involving two aurors and super glue in a very public place. The bureaucratic road blocks magically disappeared after that incident."

"What was the incident?" Harry asked feigning ignorance.

"Have you not paid any attention to either the magical or muggle news? The incident was discussed everywhere?"

"Mum and Dad have been going to work while Harry and I have been working on a project. Just tell us what happened." Hermione said threateningly.

"Don't get your knickers in knot. I was going to tell. The non-magical version of the incident was that two men were found naked outside a gay bar. One man had his hands super glued to the groin of the other. The man whose hands were glued had his groin area glued to a telephone poll. It took the rescue squad that responded hours to free the men. The popular opinion in the muggle news was the men got pranked at a bachelor party they attended. Neither men were willing to give a statement to the non-magical newspaper."

"What was the magical version of events?"

"The two men were doing something for Dumbledore when the next thing they know. They were glued to each other, nude and completely helpless. When help arrived, it came in the form of muggle rescue squad. They tried to refuse their assistance hoping that the magical equivalent would arrive. But by the time the magical authorities arrived, it was too late since muggle media were already there. The presence of the non-magical media meant that the magical authorities could only look on as the men were freed using non-magical means. The muggle methods were used were very time-consuming, embarrassing and painful for the two men.

"When they were released by the healers and questioned by the other high level members of the DMLE, all they were willing to say was that they were helping Dumbledore with something without getting too specific. They were both fined and Kingsley has an official reprimand in his file. That meant a demotion and no chance of promotion for many years to come.

"Dumbledore was not willing to step in and help them even though they were doing something for him. This lack of assistance is what I think, prompted the bureaucratic road blocks to magically disappear."

"That is excellent news. I guess that Dumbledore supporters will now thick twice before acting on his behalf." Hermione suggested.

"That was not the only bad news Dumbledore received this week. He finally lost his Chief Warlock position." Sirius said.

"Who did he lose the position to?"

"He lost it to Titus Ogden, a moderate pureblood supremacist."

"What the heck is a moderate pureblood supremacist?"

"That is the fraction that believes that muggles and muggleborns should be given some protection while the purebloods should be considered like nobility. A lot of Dumbledore's old political allies are now part of this fraction. "

"Isn't that the extreme pureblood fraction?"

"No, the extreme pureblood fraction believes in the total annihilation of the muggles and muggleborn."

"And that is the faction we are doing the deal with?" Harry asked incredibly.

"Yes. They follow the old code so any agreements with them are practically ironclad; especially with another pureblood. That is why they are so strong because people are willing to deal with them." Sirius explained.

"There is a faction that believes in equality for all?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Yes but they are the minority with no leader unlike the other factions. Dumbledore's betrayal has really hurt them. I would not be surprised if they left Britain, since I believe that is what you plan to do now that I wrested your magical guardianship away from Dumbledore." Sirius said.

"That is what we are planning." Hermione replied. She was not surprised that Sirius figured out what they were planning.

"I think I worked out something that would help. In order to try to fight all of the negative press he is getting, Dumbledore has put his full backing behind something called the Muggle Protection Act. I believe that if I could get a sentence or two changed, the act could be interpreted as one that encourages muggleborns and half-bloods to leave the country."

"Are you sure the pureblood supremacist would pass the act? Especially since the act is supposed to protect muggles." Hermione asked.

"Have you actually read the act?" Sirius asked.

"No I can't say I have." Hermione admitted.

"The act basically forbids magicals from copying things done by muggles by claiming that if muggles discovered the magical equivalent then the threat to magical society is huge. It is basically an act to encourage the separation of muggle and magical societies." Sirius explained.

"I heard about this act. If that is the case then why is Lucius Malfoy so against it?" Harry added.

"A number of reasons, the first reason is that the name of the act suggests that it protects muggles from magicals. Second reason is that he hates Dumbledore and would oppose everything he states for on principle. The third and final reason is that it gives the ministry extra powers to examine people's homes which he absolutes hates since he has so many dark objects in his home."

"Will the act pass if Lucius Malfoy is so against it?"

"Yes, since Dumbledore is selling the idea to supporters of equality by saying that it stops magicals from harming muggles by changing everyday muggle items into dangerous things. He also got quite a bit of support from the pure-bloods by telling them the truth."

"Would you be able make your suggested changes?" Hermione asked.

"I believe that I can supporters of equality to go to for it by showing them how it could help them escape Britain while the pure-bloods would go for it if I show them that it would reduce opposition."

"That sounds great." Hermione said finally after thinking it through.

"Once I reach an agreement with the Malfoys and the pure-bloods. I am never going to play this political game ever again. It makes my skin crawl dealing with those people." Sirius stated.

"Are you sure you want to do this? The agreement is a big risk and we can work without it." Harry asked.

"I am sure. In fact, I want to start working on it immediately since I want it in place before school starts. It is too late to leave Hogwarts this year and from what you have done, you want to be at Hogwarts this year for some reason anyway."

"You are right. We want to be at Hogwarts this year. Don't worry about why, it is better if you don't know. Why don't you make those changes to the Muggle Protection Act so that we can start on the Pureblood agreement?" Hermione suggested. Sirius said his farewell since he could sense that he really did not want to know what they had planned for this year.

When Harry and Hermione were alone Harry asked Hermione.

"Do you think that Moody or Kingsley would come after us for revenge?"

"I doubt it. Moody is paranoid so to being left defenceless and embarrassed after a failed attack. It will make him think twice before he tries something like that again. While Kingsley is now on thin ice at his job, if he steps out of line he could be fired. Besides the fact that they did not admit they were trying to kidnap you means they know they were in the wrong."

"I hope you are right." Said Harry, doubtfully.

"Anyway, I have put a proximity charm on them so that when they try to follow us an alarm will sound." Hermione said matter-of-factly while buffing a nail. Harry rushed over to hug Hermione.

"That was brilliant." Harry proclaimed.


	31. Chapter 30 Ministry and Horcruxes

A/N Harry and Hermione did not want to reveal the interrogation they conducted on Moody and Kingsley which is why they did not inform Sirius of Remus' betrayal.

Happy New Year to all my readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I am having trouble with one of the chapters I am working on. I have all these ideas but have trouble structuring it in a way that makes sense. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Chapter 30

Sirius came over as soon as the Muggle Protection Act was passed into law. It contained the amendments that he wanted. He collapsed on the couch of one of the sitting rooms. Hermione was there reading something, Harry was going over the plans of the Gaunt hut. Dan was reading the sports section of the non-magical newspaper while Emma was comparing the main sections of the magical and non-magical newspapers.

"Tough day?" Harry asked.

"You would not believe it. Dumbledore was pushing the legislation full on in the Wizengamot. When he found out about the changes I made, he started to lobby for the act to be either rejected or the amendments I made removed. Once he started doing that, Lucius Malfoy started to lobby hard for the amendments to stay since it was the exact opposite of what Dumbledore wanted. It was like the clash of the titans with me in the middle."

"Did the act get passed?" Hermione asked as she looked up from her book.

"Yes. But it was a very close call. If Dumbledore found out about my changes any earlier, then the motion would have failed. In the end, Dumbledore was made to look like a fool after pushing for something then suddenly turning around. That combined with the fact that the law would heavily reduce Dumbledore's pool of potential supporters would mean that soon Dumbledore will only hold the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts. His ICW position is in doubt with the Wizengamot withdrawing their support for his representation of Britain. He already lost the Chief Warlock position and his Order of Merlin Award is under review."

"He is still a very dangerous man even without all those positions of authority." Hermione warned. "What are you getting at?"

"I was thinking that we have convinced about as many people who are willing to listen that Dumbledore is not the good person he tries to portray. Using Rita continue to bag on Dumbledore is like beating a dead horse. We cannot use her to attack other people in the media since the media owners are likely to object, I think that I should use her for spying purposes. Her Animagus form is excellent for that task. I have signed her to an exclusive contract for 200 thousand galleons a year. She can only work for me and if she does good work she can even get bonuses. If you wish to have her continue what she is doing that is fine with me as well."

"This way she is even more productive and I think this a good use of resources. Have you got her to sign any contracts such as confidentiality clause?"

"I was hoping you could write one of your legendary cursed contracts…" Sirius pleaded.

"Okay. Maybe I should teach you how to write your own." Hermione replied.

"If I wrote a cursed contract, I will probably end up cursing myself or turning myself into monkey."

"I can image you deliberately doing that because you would find it funny. I would bet that you wouldn't know how to undo it. Then I would have to try and undo it for you, on second thought I better not."

"If you taught him how to do those contracts he will probably start turning us into monkeys every time we write our names." Harry added. Sirius began thinking what he could do with cursed contracts.

"Maybe you should tell me how to do so that in an emergency. I can do it on my own."

"Okay. But only if you promise not to use it to prank me or Harry."

"Deal, but everyone else is free is free game."

"As long as it does not interrupt something important I don't care."

"You can teach me while we are working on the deal with the purebloods."

"Speaking of deals, do you know what happened to Mundungus Fletcher? Rumour has it that he was able to get a deal with Dumbledore in order to keep him out of prison."

"How do you know about, Dung?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"I have read a book called the "Art of War". One of the things they emphasize in the book is the importance of knowing your enemy. Since we consider Dumbledore as our enemy, we research his known associates and made sure we knew where they were. Recently Mundungus Fletcher disappeared off the streets. I doubted he was dead, so the most likely scenario is arrested. I was hoping you heard something about him while you were at the ministry." Harry explained.

"As a matter of fact, I did. He was arrested with trying to steal from the Apothecary. In fact, when the aurors arrived he put up quite a fight destroying most of the Apothecary in the process."

"So is he going to prison?" Harry asked.

"Yes he is now going to spend a few years in the company of my old neighbours. I wish him the best of luck. He would need it especially since he is an alcoholic who is going to go through withdrawal while spending time with those good mood destroyers. Insanity is his best hope right now since suicide is not an option." Sirius explained. Harry and Hermione were both relieved that Sirius was able to joke about Azkaban.

"I thought that Dumbledore would keep him out of prison." Harry stated.

"He attempted to do so, but his position is so weak these days that he was not able to help Dung at all. In fact they added two years to his sentence due to Dumbledore's revelation of one of Dung's prior misdeeds when he testified on his behalf. It was probably why he didn't try to help Moody and Kingsley. He already knew he could do nothing for them and could only cause trouble for himself."

"If he is so weak why isn't he in jail?" Harry said in frustration.

"It is very simple. What Dumbledore was trying to do with Dung was use his reputation and his authority to get ministry officials to do what he wanted. Now that his reputation is in tatters and his positions that provide that authority are under threat, he can't do that anymore. However, when Dumbledore is personally being threatened with jail, he will call in favours from members of the Wizengamot. He has over half-century to accumulate favours so he is unlikely to go to jail any time soon." Sirius explained.

"So, basically Dumbledore lost his power in the ministry but still has power in the Wizengamot and this still makes him dangerous." Hermione added.

"That is why this agreement with the pure-blood supremacist faction is so important."

"I can understand why you are doing it, but I still think it is too great of a risk." Harry said with passion.

"Don't worry. I will be working with Sirius on the agreement. Don't you trust me Harry?" Hermione asked.

"You know I would trust you with my life any day of the week."

"So let me take care of this and ensure that Sirius is protected." Hermione said as she hugged Harry. She knew how much Sirius' death in the previous timeline hurt him. Once Harry felt better and resumed his work, Hermione and Sirius began working on the pureblood agreement.

It was a busy week at the new Granger household. Hermione and Sirius continued to work on the pureblood agreement. Harry was looking over the Black Manor plans that Sirius had obtained for him. It was going to be a busy Saturday, apart from taking over Black Manor; Harry was going to use the time turner to attend a House Warning Party for the Grangers at the same time.

Harry decided to take over Black Manor at the same time as the house warming party due to Harry's need to use a wand to adjust the wards around the house. He did not want to be cited for underage magic usage. If they do catch this activity, Harry could show proof that he was somewhere else at the time.

On Saturday morning, Harry, Doug and Jake met Sirius and his bodyguards at Black Manor. The transfer of ownership and control of the Black Manor went off without a hitch. Sirius then called out.

"Kreacher." Sirius called. The house elf appeared.

"You blood traitor. What are you doing here corrupting the Noble House of Black?" Kreacher said.

"I am your new master, so shut up!" Sirius yelled. Kreacher immediately stopped his rant even though he did not want to. Sirius immediately transferred the ownership of Kreacher to Harry.

"I am now owned by filth." Kreacher said with disgust once the transfer was completed. Originally, Harry was planning to get Kreacher to change his ways but after seeing Kreacher with Sirius so close, he knew he could not control his temper long enough to change Kreacher. He sent him off to Hermione instead with orders follow her every command.

As they opened the door and entered Black Manor, Sirius' mother started yelling.

"What the hell are you doing here? You filthy blood traitor, embarrassment to the Noble House of Black!"

"Hello mother." Sirius said.

"What are you doing hanging around with these disgusting creatures." Mrs Black said as soon as she spotted Harry and the others. Harry however had enough. So he called.

"Dobby!"

"Yes Master Harry, Sir." Dobby said as he appeared.

"Please destroy this painting and this troll umbrella stand as well." Harry said. Mrs Black had a shocked expression as her painting was instantly destroyed. The troll leg also disappeared.

"Thanks Harry." Sirius said in relief that his mother's painting was gone.

The others now started looking through the house for cursed objects, especially the Slytherin locket. If they came across any dark creatures they put them into a trunk which was going to join the creatures they collected from the New Granger house. These dark creatures were going to be used as either punishment for people who do wrong such as Lockhart and Dumbledore or as teaching tools for the New Granger Institute. After Sirius showed them around the house he left since he did not like being in his old home.

The discovery of a fully stocked and shielded potions lab in the cellar changed their plans. Originally, Harry was planning to change the Manor into one massive library but with the discovery they decided to keep the lab and use it as a base of operations. They would transform the old Granger Home into the gigantic library. Doug was going to renovate the Black Manor after he had finished training the miners.

It did not take long for them to find the locket and move the library contents to the old Granger Home. The locket was placed with the diadem. Hermione now had several items to experiment with in order to remove Horcruxes. She wanted a way to remove the Horcrux from Harry without using the killing curse. She is positive there is a way to do it; it was just a case of finding it. This was one of the reasons she wanted so many books, especially books about dark magic.

After the locket was put away, Harry went home to attend the house warming party. This party was mainly a non-magical affair. Even though it was called a house warming party, in fact it was a fund raising event for the Outreach program for disadvantaged children. The goal of the event was to boost the Granger's profile in the public/political arena. Since it was a fund raising event, dignitaries and celebrities were attending the occasion. The charity was willing to go along with it for a number of reasons. The Grangers had donated 50 thousand pounds to their cause with the possibility of more in the fund, the Grangers were providing free Elvin made food (waiters and attendants were mostly charity volunteers) and a beautiful venue. Emma, Dan and the people from the Outreach charity organised the event.

As soon as the guests starting arriving, one of the trustees of the charity was standing with Emma, Dan, Hermione and Harry greet the new arrivals. Dan and Emma were excited about meeting all these new important people while Hermione and Harry were loathing it. Harry hated the attention while Hermione hated the pompous people they were meeting. It reminded her of the attitude that she got from the pure-blood supremacists in magical society. Neither cared about the celebrities that attended but knew why they were needed to attract the media. Emma loved the compliments she was getting while Dan loved the attention. Dan also enjoyed giving speeches at these occasions talking about his passion for the cause.

Harry and Hermione were taking turns escaping the reception line to act as the go between the human wait staff and the house elf cooking crew. The house elves loved the work and had to be stopped many times from making the food magically appear at tables. Only the threat of being banned from cleaning up the mess after everyone left kept them in line. The only area that they could not keep the house elves under control over was the toilets as soon as the door closed a house elf would clean it. This brought a lot compliments about the cleanliness of the toilets but made it awkward for the Grangers to try to explain it. Another area the Grangers did not know the answer to were the recipe requests. These requests made the house elves extra happy. They got so happy that they accidentally added some magical ingredients a few times such as adding dragon meat to some entrees. Luckily, Dobby or Harry would spot it quiet quickly and prevented the guests from noticing.

On one occasion Dan was getting so bored by a guest that he discretely asked Dobby to swap, the guy's drink with either a whisky made for giants or werewolves. The result was hilarious; the boring man really enjoyed his new drink and became extremely intoxicated very quickly. The uptight politician started striping and saying how hot he felt. At this time, Dan took him to one of the bedrooms specially prepared for the drunks. This way the guest did not embarrass himself too much. Once in the room he started talking about his misspent youth. Dan was enjoying the stories that the guy was telling so he stayed until he fell asleep.

The night was a roaring success, and there were several requests made for the Grangers host future events. Everything about the night was a smashing hit. The food was first class; the venue was wonderful, the only area to improve on was the entertainment since which was low key. Security provided by the security guards in training was brilliant. They were responsible for subduing the violent drunks quickly or placing the well behaved drunks in prepared rooms to recover. The food was so good and plentiful that it kept the reporters busy and gave relief to the celebrities who had attended the event (a few celebrities asked about which catering service they used since they would hire them in a second).

They also raised a lot of money for the charity. The announcement of the 50 thousand pound donation plus a pledge of another 50 thousand pounds in the future by the Grangers was extremely well received. It was so successful a fund raising event that the charity could expand its existing operations with the funds raised. This included a 20 thousand pound donation from the drunken politician that Dan befriended. The success made the other charities ask about holding a similar event for them in the future. Dan and Emma quickly declined as they had to plan Harry's birthday party and then they were going overseas after that.

On the day of Harry's birthday, the Grangers plus their close employees had a small celebration lunch together. The actual birthday party was held the following day. Before the party began, Harry and Hermione went to the Gaunt Hut. It did not take long for Harry to undo the enchantments and wards around the hunt with Voldemort's wand. He then took the ring with the resurrection stone on it from its hiding place and carefully placed it with the other Horcruxes. Hermione put a replacement ring with similar spells on it in its place. This replacement ring has a proximity alert charm like the ones placed on Moody and Kingsley. Harry then recast the wards and spells that covered the hut. They went home to examine the ring they had retrieved. As soon as Harry cast the spell detection charm on the ring using the Elder wand, Harry found something that shocked him.

"What is the matter?" Hermione asked as she saw the shock expression on his face.

"I found all the spells and charms I expected on this ring but I also found a curse on the resurrection stone itself that I never seen before." Harry replied.

"Can you identify the caster of the curse?" Hermione asked.

"No, I cannot. I cannot even tell you when it was cast."

"Can you remove it?" Hermione said with concern.

"I don't know. I need to research the curse first before I can tell you."

"Do you what it does?"

"Something to do with Halloween, which is all that I can tell at this stage…"

"Check your invisible cloak and use Voldemort's wand to check for the curse on the Elder wand." Hermione suggested which Harry quickly complied with.

"They both have the same curse." Harry replied.

"That certainly explains why you have such rotten luck at Halloween." Hermione said, hoping to lighten to mood.

"I want the curse gone." Harry said as he went in search of books to help him achieve his goal.

"We need to attend your party. So get changed and use the time-turner." Hermione directed. Harry did not enjoy his party; he was more interested in removing the curse permanently.


	32. Chapter 31

A/N Happy New Year to all my readers and especially my beta SLIMER!.

You have all been great and I hope to continue to enjoy my work.

I also want to give my best wishes to Dawn my previous beta.

Thank you for all your kind reviews. If it was not for them. I doubt I would have been able to overcome my writers block.

Chapter 31

The next week and a half was busy in the Granger household. Harry was going through the investigation that Madam Bones conducted following the discovery of the massive miscarriage of justice that was Sirius' imprisonment. He wanted to research and remove the curse that he found on the deadly hallows but he knew he needed to have this investigation done before the start of the new school year so that the next stage of their plan could be executed.

Meanwhile, Hermione and her parents were planning their trip to US (when they were not attending some charity event). Harry was not included in the holiday as he was staying with Sirius and the Tonks during this period. The main reason for Harry to stay behind was to spend quality time with Sirius. The other reason was that Harry wanted the Grangers to have some time together without him intruding even though the Grangers said he was part of their family and that he should attend. A distant third reason was so that Harry would be around to deal with any problems that should arise.

After a discussion with one of their financial advisors, it was decided that they would visit their US base of operations at the beginning of their trip. Then they could do all the sightseeing before ending the trip with a visit of the new Granger Institute. By doing it this way, it made the expenses they incurred on the trip tax deductible in the muggle world.

On the day that the Grangers were leaving for America, Harry came down the stairs all packed to go to the Tonks' home where Sirius was staying. Emma was cooking, Dan was reading the newspaper while Hermione was trying to work out which books she wanted to bring with her.

"Good Morning, Harry." Emma said greeting him with a hug.

"Good Morning, Emma." Harry had started calling her Emma since he was uncomfortable with using the terms Mum and Dad.

"Hi Harry." Dan said without looking up from the newspaper.

"Good Morning Dan." Harry replied.

"Good Morning." Hermione said.

"Good Morning to you too." Harry said.

"Have you packed everything?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Harry replied.

"Did you bring enough socks?"

"If I forget anything, I can always come back here."

"Okay. Are you sure you don't want to go with us to America? It is still not too late…" Emma asked.

"I am positive. I want to spend time with Sirius."

"Don't get into too much trouble." Hermione said.

"I will try but you know how much of a prankster Sirius is. It will be an uphill battle." Harry replied. They then had their last breakfast together before the Grangers headed out for America.

"I wish I can see you off that the airport." Harry said as the Grangers prepare to leave.

"You know it is not safe for you to go out in public with Dumbledore still out to get you."

"Then why did I have to attend those charity events?"

"At least at those events hardly anyone knew you were coming besides the guest list is set and any strange people appearing would be noticed immediately unlike the airport." Hermione explained.

"Enjoy your trip, Emma, Dan and Hermione. I will see you when you come back." Harry said.

Hermione, Dan and Emma arrived at their hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada where they rested for a day before taking a day trip to Carson City. They decided to locate their base of operations in Carson City because it was much cheaper than Las Vegas but still big enough to support their growing operation. It was also close to their gold mining operations which simplified communication between HQ and the mines. When they arrived at the HQ, Dan was expecting two discrete office buildings maybe three stories high in down town Carson City. One building was for the magical parts of their operation and the other building was for the non-magical parts.

What they saw when they arrived was two good size office building with one of the buildings at least ten stories in the middle of Carson City's CBD. Dan, Emma and Hermione were shocked when they arrived. Grant Rosenberg, their General Manager/CEO, greeted them as they entered the non-magical building. Grant was a squib who had a MBA from Harvard. He took a pay cut when he accepted this role, but the idea of combining the Magic and non-magical worlds appealed to him. He also believed that he would make more in the future with this role than he would by taking a higher paying job now.

"How many stories is this building?" Dan asked in shock as he looked up the non-magical office building. He remembered approving the rental agreement for these new offices but he never thought it was this big.

"This building is 12 stories while the other one is 8 stories." Grant replied.

"Why are they so big?" Hermione asked.

"The first 8 stories of this building are filled with administration staff, lawyers, accountants, managers ..." Grant said in explanation before Hermione interrupted him by asking.

"Do we have that many accountants, lawyer and office staff?"

"The lawyers and accountants are saving us more in taxes than it costs us to employ them. We need the administration staff to deal with the bureaucratic paperwork that the various levels of government and different government departments require."

"All this is for our non-magical operation?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Yes. The magical operation takes the top 4 floors of this building and entire other building."

"Why did you not use the smaller building for the non-magical operation and use this building solely for magical operations?" Emma asked.

"The other building is not equipped for non-magical infra-structure like phones, electricity, etc." Grant explained. The Grangers understood and accepted this explanation. Grant continued the description of the layout of the operation.

"That building currently houses the magical bank we recently opened. It was lucky that we got so much office space because the entire building is dedicated to the bank. The rest of the magical operations are located in the top four floors of this building."

"Why does the bank take up so much space?"

"The bank is so popular that we are using two floors of the building to store 10% of the deposits we receive so that we can allow our customers to make withdrawals if necessary."

"How much did we receive in deposits so far?" Dan asked.

"300 million dollars..." Grant replied. The combination of the size of the amount being deposited plus the fatigue from their trip caused the Grangers to faint. Grant was forced to call security and some employees to help him move them to his office.

The next thing Hermione and parents knew they were lying on conjured couches in a plush office. As they sat up a secretary handed them a drink which they accepted gratefully.

"Where are we?" Emma asked as she looked around.

"We are in my office on the eighth floor. Mrs Granger." Grant replied.

"Are we in the magical or non-magical building?" Emma asked.

"The non-magical building even though the top four floors of this building are magical."

"So this is not the top floor of the building?" Hermione asked.

"No. It is not. This is where the magical and non-magical operations meet. The people who work on this floor are either Squibs or muggle-born. So be warned that using magic below this floor is not recommended as it damages our electronic equipment and do not take electronics above this floor." Grant explained.

"What about the lifts?" Hermione asked.

"The lifts work up to this floor but don't work above this floor."

"How do you get to the floors above?"

"There are a number of different options. The one I usually use is to a take the lift to this floor before walking the fire escape stairs up to the higher floors. But most people who know about magic use the floo or apparation points on the upper floors."

"What is stopping our non-magical employees who know nothing about magic from doing the same?"

"We have a muggle repelling wards on the doors leading to the magical areas and we have a strict company policy in regards to magical people going into non-magical area. Failure to comply with the policy will lead to immediate dismissal." This response from Grant satisfied Hermione.

"What were we talking about before we fainted?" Dan asked.

"I mentioned that that we have 300 million dollars on deposit."

"How long have we been accepting deposits?" Dan asked.

"Two weeks."

"How did we raise so much in so little time?" Hermione asked.

"Most of our employees have known about this new venture for over a month. You know how fast gossip travels. So on the first day we opened, people who were eligible to make deposits had borrowed as much as they could from other financial institutions in order to deposit the funds with us. The difference between the cost of the loan and our return on investment is pure profit for them. Our employees know how well we are doing so they considered it a minimal risk investment." Grant explained.

"I believe we have to limit the amount of deposits we are accepting until we are more established."

"Already ahead of you there, after the first couple of days we realised what was happening so we have imposed a limit on how much we are willing to accept in deposits. This limit will be reviewed in 6 months' time but at the moment even if every eligible person deposits the maximum amount, the most we get is an extra 200 million dollars." Dan got a little smug look from Emma who had wanted Grant over another candidate. The way this problem was handled justified Emma's faith in Grant. Dan decided to move the conservation along before Emma started saying. I told you so. Hermione had other ideas however.

"Why don't we allow remove the limits for deposits in galleons but inform them that the return will be paid out in galleons?"

"That would just encourage people to convert their non-magical money into galleons before depositing it with us?" Grant replies.

"Not if we inform them that we expect the gold price to fall once we reach full production in our gold mines." Hermione replied which made Grant think before saying.

"If we buy more mines and increase production, the price of gold will fall. Since galleons are made from a set amount of gold plus a variety of alloys to make up the rest of the coin. The fall in the gold price would reduce the value of the galleon so that it would not be worth their while to convert their money to galleons before converting it back once the investment matures."

"One of the aims of this venture is to force the goblins to negotiate with us. If we make more business for them that is not likely to happen. That why we try to pay with non-magical currency as much as possible."

"I noticed that but I never knew why. Now that I know I will examine our operation and try to help you achieve that objective. " Grant replied.

"By the way, you do not happen to invest the full amount we received in deposits into Nike." Dan asked.

"Of course not, if we invested that entire amount into one share it would cause a number of problems. The first problem is that we would be classified as having a significant shareholding which would limit our ability to off load or acquire stock in the future. Plus with the massive injection of interest in that one stock it could cause a run on the share resulting in an inflated bubble. I have limited the amount we invested in Nike to 50 million dollars which was what you projected as the maximum we would receive from depositors."

"How did you get it so wrong, dad?" Hermione asked as she thought what a big difference 300 million was to the projected 50 million.

"We did not know it was going to be that popular or that people we going to borrow money in order to deposit that money with us." Dan explained. "The 50 million dollars were based on the number of members there are in the Outcast organisation plus our employees investing only a proportion of their savings with us."

"The figures were sound. We just did not anticipate the borrowing by our employees." Grant added.

"So what have you done with the rest of the money?" Dan asked.

"Since most of the deposits are in non-magical currency, we were put it into a normal bank account for now. The galleons are sitting in one of the mining shafts but I was thinking that we could buy a smelting plant so that we can convert the gold into bars without the questions why they are in coins. I had our finance team look for suitable target companies for us to acquire." Grant said as he handed over three folders. "These three companies are the most viable options for us at the moment. We are currently doing due diligence on all three companies but due to the small size of these companies, that should be completed this week."

Hermione, Dan and Emma looked over the folders before handing it back to Grant. Dan was first to speak.

"This looks great. Proceed with the purchase of which ever company you think is best." Emma and Hermione nodded their heads with agreement.

"I have also looked at acquiring more gold mines since the initial results from our gold mining operations are extremely positive." Grant said.

"What do you mean positive?" Hermione asked.

"The cost of extraction at the moment is $150 per ounce which is around $70 cheaper than our competitors plus we are able to extract the gold with less impact on the environment due to our technique." Grant replied.

"Does that include the cost of training?" Hermione asked.

"It does. If you exclude cost of training it is closer to $100 per ounce and once our people are comfortable with the mining technique we expect the cost to fall to $75 per ounce. We can trounce our competitors which is why I want to expand our operation." Grant explained.

"You seem to know what you are doing in this regards so we will leave it up to you." Emma said.

"You should also consider investing the money that is currently sitting in the bank into either a company called Microsoft or Berkshire Hathaway." Hermione suggested. Then added,

"How is the operation structured? Is the bank the same corporation as the gold mines?"

"The Bank is part of the magical operation while the gold mines are part of the non-magical company. The organisation is broken into magical and non-magical. The magical operation consists of a holding company that own shares in the banking operation, the potion business, media, basilisk parts, import/export business and a lot of others. While the non-magical operation consists of the holding company that own shares in the gold mining operation. Investing is done through the holding company." Grant says as he pulls out an organisational flowchart to illustrate the correlation between operations.

"Can we payout the interest on the deposits using the cash flow from our other businesses?" Hermione asked. Grant begins taking out a cash flow forecasts plus profitability analysis. After calculating a few things from the two documents he responds.

"We can do it quite comfortably. The import/export operations alone generate enough cash to pay the interest at the moment. If we do take your suggestion on board to remove the limits on the magical deposits then I doubt that would still be the case."

"If you invest 65% of the money we receive in the stocks we told you then we should have no problems achieving the necessary returns to repay the depositors plus the interest we promise them."

"When you say 65% is that the total amount we receive from depositors or excluding the amount we keep in reserve in case of withdrawals?"

"How much do you hold in reserve?"

"Around 10 percent of the total deposits we received. Half in galleons the rest in hard currency."

"Reduce the reserve to 5 percent of total deposits. With the additional cash we should look to acquiring a solar cell manufacturing company. Have you seen the power generation system that Harry developed?"

"I have not seen the design but I have heard about it. If the information I am getting is accurate then it could revolutionise the power industry."

"I was thinking that we should look into mass producing the system for commercial use? Buying a solar cell manufacturing company will ease our entry into that market." Hermione said.

"I will do that." Grant replied as he wrote something into his diary.

"We should also investigate the acquisition of British based magical companies that we can relocate to more tolerate countries like Australia, Japan and the US. That way when people start realising that the new law encourages them to immigrate out of magical Britain. We would have jobs ready for them." Emma added.

"Should we work on encouraging people to leave Britain?" Grant asked.

"No. Leave that to the Outcast Organisation. Our media ownership is not strong enough to get involved at the moment."

The rest of the day was spent meeting the senior staff that worked for them (some of the staff tried to suck up to the Grangers because they knew the Grangers had final say as the biggest shareholders). That was the extent of the work that the Grangers did for the first part of the trip.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

After spending couple of weeks sightseeing across America using a combination of magical and non-magical means, they made their way to Colorado before heading home. The reason why they were in Colorado was visit the New Grangers Institute. Day after they arrived in Colorado, the leader of the British Outcast movement met them at their hotel before taking them via portkey to the new school.

They arrived at the New Grangers Institute on one of the school's quidditch pitches. A man on a flying carpet approached them as soon as they arrived. The British Outcast leader walked towards the man as soon as he packed away the flying carpet.

"It is good to see you." The British Outcast Leader said to the man.

"It is good to see you too." the other guy replied as they shook hands.

"Where are my manners? This is Miles Vorkosigan, he is the public face of the Outcast movement in the US. He has kindly offered to show you around today." The British Outcast Leader said before turning to Miles and saying.

"These are the Grangers. Daniel, Emma and Hermione." He then whispered. "Be nice since they provide most of our funding. If you piss them off their will be a lot people coming after your hind beginning with me."

"Nice to meet you." Dan said first followed by Emma and Hermione. Miles returned the greetings warmly. Miles then turn them around. The Grangers were shocked by the size of the school. It was like a mini city with 5 massive buildings dominating the skyline.

"Welcome to the Grangers Magical Institute. It was officially opened in January 1992 with the invaluable assistance of the Doctors Daniel and Emma Granger." Miles said in a joking manner. You could tell it was part of the usual spiel they gave to guests and new students.

"The building in front of us is the Evan's building which houses our library as known as Hermione's Sanctuary. Behind that is the Maruaders Building where all the Dorms are located. The small building on the right is the Potter Building where the Vampires hold there classes and on the left is the Lupin Building for the werewolves. At the back is the Black building where the rest of the school attend classes. You can't see from here but beyond the Black building is the faculty buildings, the farm and a few things I want to show you later." Mile said as the headed towards to the Evans Building.

Above the entrance of the Evans Building was a the Outcast Movement Crest plus the new school's motto, Excellentia per mutuus Veneratio (Excellence through mutual respect). They walked passed some lifts and stairwells to enter the library. The library was enormous with book shelves more than 10 feet high.

"This library is the biggest draw card to the school. It boast the largest collection of magical books in the country. At the rate we are going this could become the premier magical library in the world since we are adding a shelf of books to the collection everyday.

The bottom two floors are filled to the brim with books. Third level is well on the way to becoming like the lower floors. Only Fourth floor has remained empty but I doubt that will be the case for much longer. Fifth floor which is also the top has a sizable collection of books but since it is restricted access not even I know how full that level is. One of the librarians has chuck me out several times when I tried to have a peek at what was there. You have any idea how much extra space we will need to house the full collection of books you will be sending us?" Miles asked.

Hermione started thinking of the collection of books they had or are going to get. There was the Hogwarts main library, the collection from the Ravenclaw common room, Dumbledore's private stash, what they recovered from the raids, Room of lost things, brought or traded, the Black family library. Copies of not all of these books were going to be given to this school but quiet a bit of it was. It was filling up two full tents, part of a new one and two rooms in the cellar of the New Grangers new home.

"I will recommend that you more than double the current size since we have a lot more books to add to your current collection. Plus we are adding more books to our own collection every day." Hermione commented.

"I think you might have underestimated the size of the building they will need. We already have enough books to fill this library at least three times over. The tents we are currently storing the books in are overflowing and it does not have the space between books that this library has. Besides we plan to add non-magical books to both collections soon." Emma added.

"Our professors will be delighted to hear there are a lot more books to come." Miles said sarcastically.

"Is the fights over new books still continuing?" Dan asked.

"It is as bad as ever. Things has escalated to the point where professors argument over suppose thief of new books. What makes it worse is that the arguments are occurring right in front of students." Miles replied.

"What have you tried to stopped the fights?"

"Everything we can think of. We tried banned them from receiving new books but professors were getting their apprentices to argue with competing professors to stop them from getting new books. Extra grants for collaborations between professors from different schools. It did not work since the professors know they will make a lot more money in the future if they publish original works now." Miles said in frustration. "This school is suppose to all about collaboration and our professors are making a mockery of it."

"I thought the we own the majority of the patents that come from their work?' Hermione asked.

"We do but if they are known for publishing a lot good work then their pay will be higher when they leave." Miles responded. This made all the Grangers stop to think of a solution.

"Okay. So you have two problems." Emma stated. "The first problem is fights over books and the second problem is the lack of collaboration between professors."

"I think the easiest solution for the first problem is if we make one of the librarians a direct employee. We can teach the librarian how to copy the books in the greatest in demand. The research grants given to different departments will pay a high price for these extra copies." Hermione suggested.

"Why did we not do this soon?" Miles said. "It would have saved a lot aggravation."

"We don't want the secret of the copying spell to be generally known. This spell can copy any thing including copy protected books that why it will be the responsibility of the librarian to ensure they don't reveal of the copying spell." Hermione said.

"I can understand why you will be so reluctant for it to be generally known." Miles conceded.

"In regards to your other problem make it a condition of the R&D grants and access to the library resources that they spend a minimum amount of time doing a collaborative work with another professor." Hermione suggested.

"If we were not so focused on keeping the peace we would have thought of that solution." Miles said.

"By the way what happened to the articles that were being reviewed?" Harry asked.

"About of the third of the articles that were written got rejected. The rest got published and was generally well received. Since then we are publishing about 5 articles a week in various professional journals with another article rejected for various reasons. Our most successful week involved the publication of 10 articles but in that same week two articles were rejected because they were too close to articles previously submitted. It resulted in the biggest and funniest brawl I have ever seen.

Uptight professors throwing punches at other uptight professors. Hair pulling and name calling was also going on but the highlight of the brawl was two old and respected professors originally from different campuses slapping each other in face. It was like watching everything happen in slow motion as the two long bearded professors took turns slapping each other. Taking breaks after each slap to recover before doing it again." Miles said as he got lost in the funny memory. Hermione started laughing when she imagined Dumbledore slapping himself.

"Has any of these articles lead to anything useful?" Emma asked.

"Quiet a bit actually. Our most important contribution was when our warding department was able improve the system the US Ministry of Magic uses to detect accidental magic. As a result our after hours classes are completely full. Our herbology professors were able to create more high yielding magical plants and re-establish some plants that were considered extinct. Those are the most commercially successful discoveries that we have made so far. " Miles said as he scratched his chin.

"Speaking of the US Ministry of Magic. How is Outcast Movement's relationship with the ministry at the moment?"

"We have a great relationship with the Ministry. The fact that we own a large chunk of the America's most popular magical newspaper might have something to do with it. It could also be the fact we are quickly becoming the US Magical Community's largest employer and is in control of one of America's premier education centres."

"What about opposition within the administration? Their must be people within the administration that disagree with your views." Emma asked.

"We are either digging up enough dirt on them to get sent them to prison or we are destroying their livelihoods so they don't have time to cause trouble. Most of the vocal opposition to our cause have gone due to our methods with the remaining few voices fighting tooth and nail to be heard in growing support for our cause."

"What is the international perception of our cause?" Hermione asked.

"It depends on the regions. We have a strong presence in most of Asia especially in Australia, Japan and Singapore. The Chinese are very secretive so we can not be sure what is happening there. India, Pakistan and that region is very class orientated. Some countries like France, Belgian, Denmark, etc have similar beliefs but do not allow foreigners to play an active role in their political processes. While the Eastern European countries are very backwards and do not like progressive ideas. Africa and South America is too chaotic. While the Middle East will follow the money, so if our magical economy grows into the biggest globally then they will start following us. I think the same could be said for Africa and South America."

"What are doing to spread our message?"

"We are active in Asia Pacific and there is not much we can do to spread our message further in that region. I am hoping to organise master classes where professors from schools in the region can come here to discuss developments we have made. This will promote good will with this region and help our cause. At the moment this is not possible with the competitiveness our professors feel for each other. It is too dangerous in South America and Africa since it is very volatile. We are passing on information that we get for Mr Black to progress in that area."

"A couple of questions. Are you trying to buy the media outlets in Asia? Why don't you try to hire security personnel from those regions? If the regions are so volatile then their should be good soldiers that we can hire and the cursed contracts will ensure that they are loyal to us. This could be lead to the stabilisation of those regions."

"In regards to the first question. It is not worth our while to own media in regions where we have a positive presence already. That would just be a waste of money. In relation to your second question we are not really familiar with those regions and the information we are getting is patchy at best. So we would not know how to go about it? Anyway that is more like something our joint venture should look into."

"You should have members from those regions. Send them with a security team to hire security guards and mine workers. Once you hire a few they can help you reach out to others."

"I will pass on your suggestion to Grant. While don't we continue with the tour." They left the Evans Building and toured the rest of the school. The Grangers were impressed by size and the facilities of the school.

"What do you think?" Grant said after showing them the magical farm.

"It is a very impressive school." Dan said.

"You have done a wonderful job." Emma added.

"Absolutely amazing." Hermione said finally.

"I am trying to impress you. We know that you are planning to move to America with Harry. I am hoping that you will attend this school since having the Boy Who Lived here will attract a lot more top quality students especially from Europe. It would also give us a major boost in credibility within the global magical community."

"We will have to think about it." Emma replied.

"Okay that is all I ask. On with the tour."

"I thought the tour has finished." Dan commented.

"The tour of the school has finished but not the rest of the property."

"The rest of the property?" Dan asked.

"Why don't we all sit on the flying carpet so that we are more comfortable?" Miles said as they got on the flying carpet. Once the flying carpet started moving. Miles continued by saying.

"We originally had 25 hectares but after your generous offer to fund a magical farm we started looking into acquiring more land. When we started buying land from our neighbours money started coming from our cut of your ventures. This allowed us to buy even more land."

"Why do you need so much land?" Emma asked.

"We are planning to build the first completely magical community in the US near our school. This idea came about after realising how many people would work or study at our new school. These people will need services to support them and what better way than to own the land that these services will be provided from. That way we get income from rent and we have a greater say in what services are available to students. Why don't I show where the town is going to be located?" Miles said as he turned slightly to the right and increase the speed of the magic carpet. They soon reached the location of the future town. Quiet a few buildings had already been completed with a more being constructed. There were four distinct zones.

"How big is the property in total?"

"About 400 hectares in total. But we are trying to buy more especially one neighbour who sits on the intersection of Ley Lines which will make our entire area a lot more magical."

"How does having ley lines make an area more magical?" Hermione asked.

"We create a ward over the entire area such as a muggle repelling ward that is centred on once we tap the ley lines using ward stones."


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As soon as the Grangers arrived back from their holiday, it was back to work for everyone. Sirius and Hermione were negotiating with both the pureblood supremacist fraction and the Malfoys at the same time. Harry was attending the gold mining training that Doug and Emily were conducting in the Chamber of Secrets.

They were training the second batch of gold miners using the magical techniques. Doug would lead the training while Emily acted as an observer and helped with the questions when Doug did not know the answer. During the training classes the Basilisk was allowed to hunt wild acromantulas in the forbidden forest as a reward for being so accommodating. Everyone was happy with the arrangement, especially the Basilisk. It was not only allowed to get some fresh air and as a bonus, its lair was enlarged by the gold mining classes. The students were happy since they would get a cut of any valuables they recovered by these classes. Doug was happy since he did not have to deal with the Basilisk and he was the centre of attention during lessons. Emily was happy because she did not have to train the miners herself.

A few days before term started, Hermione surprised Harry hugging him during one of the gold mining lessons.

"What the hell?" Harry said in surprise.

"Hello Harry." Hermione said.

"What's got you so happy?" Harry asked.

"Sirius and I got the agreements with the pureblood fraction and the Malfoys that we wanted." Hermione said cheerfully. Harry was not happy though since the agreements put Sirius in a lot of danger.

"Why don't we go back to your place so that I can get the details?" Harry suggested. As soon as they arrived at the Granger's new home, they were met by security guards before being allowed in.

"What is with all the extra security?' Harry asked.

"The agreements make it very dangerous for Sirius at the moment. Until we get rid of Draco, Sirius will be under constant threat and that is the reason for all the security around Sirius." Hermione said as they looked for Sirius, Dan and Emma.

"So what were the terms of the agreements?" Harry asked as soon as everyone was gathered.

"Basically the pureblood fraction will protect us politically in return for me passing my Black house votes to Malfoy or his successor. The Malfoys have agreed to combine our wealth and power in the next generation if I make Draco, my heir." Sirius explained. Hermione then whispers to Harry.

"Did you make sure that Lucius gave Ginny the Horcrux?"

"Yes." Harry replies uncertainly.

"Then you have nothing to worry about since I have added some conditions to the Malfoy agreement where if Lucius is any way responsible for Draco's death, he will go insane." Harry smiles in response to Hermione's comment.

"Don't worry about my safety, Harry. I will see you off to Hogwarts before I head to Europe to stay for a while." Sirius said.

"Just be careful." Harry said as he hugged Sirius.

"Don't worry. I will have lots of security guards protecting me and my house elves as well. You don't want to cross Dippy. She is worse than Lily after James and I got drunk."

"Did you find out about house elves trading among purebloods?" Hermione asked.

"House elves in Britain are employed via two methods. The first method involves having a house elf; they can introduce you to unbound house elf. The second method, which is only available to well-connected purebloods, is to purchase a house elf from special communities." Sirius explained.

"Do you know more about these communities?" Hermione asked.

"No. I only found about the communities recently. That is how Lucius Malfoy got his newest house elf, Moppy."

"Do you think you can find out more about these house elves communities?" Hermione asked.

"I severely doubt it. I will be heading for Europe soon and I will not be dealing with the people that would know these things."

"Damn!" Hermione said in frustration surprising everyone.

"It is alright, I know how much you want to help the house elves. We will find out about it, but it will just take time. That's all." Emma said reassuringly. Harry whispers in Hermione ear as he hugs her.

"We can ask Moppy after we kill off Draco." That seemed to satisfy Hermione.

"By the way, what is happening with the crusade to free the wrongly convicted prisoners of Azkaban?" Hermione asked after she recovered.

"We have been able get most of the prisoners who no one cares about released. We expect some opposition to the release of the remaining cases. I have organised trials for them right around the time you go back to Hogwarts, just like you asked. Do you mind telling me why you want then?" Sirius asked.

"It is better you don't know. Ever heard of plausible deniability? Just make sure you get the magical newspaper after we get to Hogwarts." Hermione said.

"Okay." Sirius said after getting the hint.

The next day when Hermione and Harry were alone, Hermione asked Harry.

"How is the planning for the destruction of Azkaban going?"

"I was successful in creating the magical bomb that creates a plasma explosion. According to the tests in the Room of Requirement, the explosion should be hot enough to destroy the Dementors." Harry replied.

"Have you checked the prison personnel to make sure we don't kill any innocents?"

"I have looked in the background of all the prison personnel; most of them are death eaters or death eater supporters. I have already arranged a little issue for the single prison guard that I consider an innocent man. He will be very sick that day so he will not be able to go to work"

"Could you have used another method to keep him away from the prison?"

"I thought about it, but no other options would work. Any other method and he will look suspicious. This way he suffers a few days but he is considered totally blameless."

"Okay. Moving on..." Hermione said finally. They continued their discussion of plans to destroy Azkaban. They continued to fine-tune the plans up until the day before they left for Hogwarts

Finally the day arrived, Harry and Hermione got up early to prepare for the Azkaban bombing. They each wore an invisible cloak and put disillusionment charms on themselves to be extra careful. Once they had their bombs plus all their other equipment, they created the portkey to Fletcher.

Once they arrived, Mundungus Fletcher screamed. "What the hell?" After hearing Harry's usual awkward landing, he quickly stunned Fletcher using Voldemort's wand. They quickly left the cell and began working together placing bombs at strategically important locations. They were sure to avoid security guards, Dementors and prisoners. Hermione set the bombs while Harry acted as the lookout and stunned anyone who got too suspicious. During the entire mission, Harry was using Voldemort's wand so that the only magical signature left behind was Voldemort's.

Once the bombs were all set, Harry and Hermione flew off on a broomstick that Harry had carried. They wanted to set off the explosion from a distance and watch their handy work. They used their watches to make sure they set off the explosion just after the Hogwarts express had left Kings Cross Station. The explosion was specular as the entire structure was instantly engulfed in a huge fireball before everything when up in flames. Harry and Hermione could see a few Dementors flee but they were too far away to catch them. After flying over the remains of the prison a few times to make sure nothing survived, they took their portkey to Kings Cross Station. They then used the time tuners to go back in time so they could pick up their things from Hermione's parents and say their farewells to everyone.

On the train, Harry and Hermione were warmly greeted by their friends.

"I have got to thank you for the great results I got in the final exams. When my sister received our end of year grades via owl, my parents were quite happy with my marks. I know this has a lot to do with your study group, Hermione. The huge difference in the marks between my sister and I only prove that in my opinion." Padma said.

"I heard that the gap between study group members and the rest of the year was massive. There was talk of cheating but the materials you gave out during the study group sessions proved that we were just more prepared." Stephen added.

"I asked my cousin and he believes that due to those lessons we are getting from you we are now equivalent to someone halfway through second year." Isobel said.

"I really think it is due to the mind arts training you gave us. I passed on all the study materials I got from you to my sister and she did not do anywhere as well as we did." Padma suggested.

"That could be because she was too busy gossiping to look over the materials you gave her." Mandy suggested.

"That is sadly true." Padma replied. At that moment, Neville stepped into the cabin.

"What do you want Neville?" Hermione asked coldly.

"Have you seen Ron?" Neville asked nervously.

"No." Hermione responded.

"Lost your owner?" Mandy asked sarcastically. Seeing how pathetic Neville looked, Padma decided to take pity on Neville.

"Stop it, Mandy." Padma said before turning to Neville and saying. "I saw his brothers earlier, so he should be on the train. Have you tried asking his brothers?"

"The twins are too busy dealing with their customers. Percy is helping me look because he cannot actually remember seeing Ron or Ginny on the train." Neville replied.

"Good Luck in your search." Padma said. Neville left, seeing that he was not going to get any help from the occupants of the cabin.

Just before he left, Mandy asked. "How did you do last year in your exams?" This brightened Neville up.

"I was top in Gryffindor for our year." Neville said proudly.

"That is not saying much since Gryffindors are not known for their brains." Mandy whispered to Lisa.

"Do you know how well you did in relation to the rest of the year?" Padma asked.

"I heard from the Headmaster that your study group topped everyone. Malfoy and I did better than the rest of the year but nowhere near you. The two of you are miles ahead of us." Neville replied.

"When did you talk to the Headmaster?" Isobel asked. This question made Neville nervous and quickly said.

"I got to find Ron. See you later."

Hermione whispered to Harry. "Did you do something to Ron or Ginny?"

"No. I decided against it." Harry replied.

"I will not be angry if you did…"

"Like I said, I did nothing to them."

"Okay." Hermione said satisfied that Harry had nothing to do with Ron or Ginny's disappearance.

A little later, Draco and his thugs came into Harry's cabin while Hermione was off visiting some members of her study group.

"Hello, Potter."

"Hi, Malfoy."

"It is Sir to you. Have you not heard about the agreement your magical guardian made with my father?"

"Yes." Harry said.

"Do you know what it means?" Draco said all smug.

"Yes. Do you?"

"Of course, it means that I am your superior in the Black family since I am your magical guardian's heir. That means that you have to listen to me."

"Sorry to burst your bubble but you are wrong. I am not a member of the Black Family; Hermione and I are only under the protection of the family. Therefore, we don't have to listen to you but you have to protect us."

"You are wrong." Draco said angrily.

"If I am right then your father will lose his magic and his life, do you really want to risk that?" Harry said.

"I will check with my dad but if you are wrong I will get you for this." Draco said threateningly.

"Why don't you run off to Daddy now?" Harry said as he tried not laugh at the expression on Draco's face.

"I will work out some way to get you for that, even if what you said is true." Draco said angrily as he left.

Thankfully the rest of the train ride was uneventful. When Harry arrived at Hogwarts, Snape was already waiting for him. "Potter, you are to see the Headmaster as soon as the opening feast is over." Snape said happily, knowing that Harry was going to be punished by Dumbledore.

"Okay. Tell Dumbledore I want Professor Flitwick to be there as well." Harry said.

"You will show me respect, Potter." Snape hissed angrily. "I am not your messenger." Harry then clicked his fingers and Snape went into a hypnotic trance.

"You will do what I say and leave me alone as much as possible." Harry stated in the low tone that is used to give hypnotic suggestions.

"Yes, Sir." Snape responded. Harry then clicked his fingers and Snape walked away unsure why he was doing so.

At the sorting ceremony, Harry and Hermione along with everyone else became concerned when Ginny's name was called and she did not appear. Harry and Hermione then started looking around the hall for Ron.

"What do you think happened?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I don't know." Hermione responded.

"What are we going to do if Ginny does not come? All of our plans for this year centres on Ginny being here."

"I know but let us give them until tomorrow morning to arrive before changing any of our plans."

"Okay." Harry said unconvinced.

Half way through the opening feast, Ginny and Ron arrived. They were dragged by Filch towards the teachers table. They had ashamed looks on their faces as they were told off by McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore.

"I wonder what happened?" Harry said to Hermione.

"We will soon find out. At least now we don't have to change our plans." Hermione replied.

"I feel relieved that they are here now." Harry said.

"You and me both." Hermione said as she started eating again.

At the end of the Feast, Dumbledore stood and said.

"Before you all go off to bed. There is an extra student we need to sort due to problems with the portal at King Cross station. Miss Weasley could please come forth and put on the sorting hat."

Ginny who had been sitting with her brothers at the Gryffindor table got up and walked towards the front. She made quite a few glances at Harry as she walked up to the Sorting Hat. When she put it on, it took a long time for the hat to decide what house to put her in. It seem like Ginny was arguing with the hat until Ginny gave in.

"Gryffindor!" The hat yelled at last.

"Do you think Ginny tried to go into our house to be close to you?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, thankfully the hat put her into Gryffindor instead." Harry replied.

"I wonder if Colin asked the Hat to put him into Ravenclaw as well." Hermione asked in wonder.

"We could always ask him a little later when he knows us better." Harry suggested.

"What are we going to do to protect Luna from the bullies in our house?" Hermione said.

"I know you will think of something." Harry said.

"We can deal with it later. You need to head off to the Headmasters office now. Do you know what you are going to do?" Hermione said

"I have a cunning plan." Harry said while imitating Baldrick from Blackadder.

"Get out of here." Hermione said as she tried not to laugh.

Harry went to the Headmaster's office and found Professor McGonagall waiting for him.

"What are you doing here and where is Professor Flitwick, my head of house?" Harry asked.

"I am the Deputy Headmaster. I will be looking after your interests in this meeting with the headmaster."

"I don't trust you to hold my drink, let alone look after my interests in a meeting with the Headmaster." Harry said angrily.

"That will be hundred points off Ravenclaw and detention with me for a month for disrespecting me." Professor McGonagall said angrily.

"I will not see the headmaster until Professor Flitwick is here." Harry said. Seeing that this was going nowhere, McGonagall went to fetch Professor Flitwick so that they could all go into the Headmaster's office together.

"Thank you for coming. Professor Flitwick you can leave now since you are not needed." Dumbledore said as soon as they arrived.

"I want Professor Flitwick to stay in order to protect my rights." Harry argued. Dumbledore was not happy with that development.

"Fine, let's begin. Last term, you left without permission from a meeting I had with you." Dumbledore said.

"That was only after you tried to impose illegal conditions on my summer holidays." Harry said.

"I was only looking after your best interests. Sirius Black is a very dangerous individual that deals with known death eaters."

"So what, I know all about those deals. Stop bad mouthing my magical guardian and godfather." Harry said angrily. Seeing how this line of argument was not getting anyway Dumbledore seemed to change his tack.

"You still disobey me and show a lack of respect towards me. Therefore, you will be spending detention with either Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall every night for the rest of term." Dumbledore stated.

"I don't think so. If you try to this I will leave this school with my magical guardian's approval." Harry said as he pulled out a Hogwarts withdrawal form completed by Sirius. He passed a copy to Dumbledore, Flitwick and McGonagall. Seeing that the form had been correctly completed, Dumbledore changed tack again.

"Don't be so hasty. Why don't we discuss it? What it would take for you to remain at the school?" Dumbledore said since he needs Harry at Hogwarts where he can at least monitor him.

"I want nothing to do with you but Hermione has made some friends, which why I am willing to stay but on some conditions. These conditions are not negotiable and they apply both to me and Hermione."

"Okay what are those conditions?" Dumbledore asked even though he did not like the direction the conservation seemed to be taking.

"The first condition is that Hermione and I will have nothing to do with you. You don't talk to us nor give us punishments. In fact, Professor Flitwick is the only teacher allowed to give us to punishments since there are quite a few staff here that I don't trust." Harry said as he looked at McGonagall.

"There is no way I can agree to those conditions. How are we supposed to keep you in line when you do something wrong?" An outraged Dumbledore stated.

"What we consider wrong and what you consider wrong are two different things. Just look at what happened during the summer." Harry said indicating that he knew about the kidnapping attempt. Dumbledore sat back down in defeat.

"Fine." He said.

"You cannot be going along with this madness!" Professor McGonagall said indignation.

"I need him here for the Greater Good." Dumbledore said to try to calm his deputy.

"I will not stand for this." McGonagall said emphatically. Flitwick decided to try to help pacify McGonagall.

"If you believe that Mr Potter or Miss Granger did something wrong then you can tell me and I can punish them. The other professors can do the same."

"That sounds reasonable." Dumbledore said.

"But I will only serve my detentions with Professor Flitwick." Harry added since he did not want to give Snape or McGonagall a chance to bait him into getting more punishment. Professor McGonagall could see she was not going to win the argument. She knew that Harry must have something major on Dumbledore for him to back down so quickly. So she gave in by saying.

"Okay. Do whatever you want. Don't blame me when something happens."

Harry and Professor Flitwick took this as a cue to leave.


	35. Chapter 34

A/N A lot people have experience trouble accessing this chapter so I decided to reloaded.

Chapter 34

Harry woke up late and found Hermione waiting in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Good Morning, Hermione," Harry said.

"Good Morning, Harry," Hermione said with a tired look on her face.

"What is the matter?" Harry asked with concern.

"It has been a long night that is all," Hermione replied.

"While you were in your meeting with Dumbledore, I was releasing some of the dark creatures we collected into Lockhart's office and quarters. Then I warded Luna's belongings so that if anyone tries to steal her things, they will start losing their memory beginning with their homework and progressively getting worse from there," Hermione explained.

"Was the ward for Luna hard to establish?" Harry asked.

"No. Actually what took most of my time was putting up wards on Lockhart's doors. The wards will make sure that no one would be willing to help him get rid of the dark creatures and will keep the creatures inside," a very tired Hermione said with a yawn.

"You could have waited to do those things until later," Harry said.

"Why wait when I could get it out of the way now," Hermione explained.

"If you waited a day or two, then you wouldn't be so tired today."

"But I would be stuck thinking about it all day and would not have been able to concentrate. Besides, if I waited then you would have wanted to help, and we both know you are going to be under a lot of scrutiny."

Harry decided to change subjects since he could see there was a snowball's chance in hell of her backing down, and he did not feel like arguing.

"My meeting with the Headmaster went extremely well. After I threatened to leave, Dumbledore agreed to leave us alone and allow Flitwick to have final say on all our punishments."

"That's great," Hermione said with a lack of enthusiasm.

"Why don't we go down for breakfast? You look like death warmed over," Harry said.

Hermione was so tired that she just responded with a nod.

As soon as they were seated in the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione were bombarded with gossip about Ron and Ginny's arrival at Hogwarts.

"I don't know how someone could be so stupid to think that it was a good idea to fly to school using a car, for Merlin's sake." Mandy was saying to Isobel when Harry and Hermione arrived.

"Well, two people were stupid enough to try such a stunt. It was not just Ron but his sister as well since she was with him in the car," Lisa stated.

"I am surprised that they were not expelled for that stunt," Isobel added.

"Dumbledore is tight with the Weasley family; he would not allow that to happen even though they both deserved it. Just look at Percy: he is such a weak and uptight bastard. The only reason why he got the Prefect badge was because of his family's relationship with Dumbledore," Mandy said.

"Not all Weasleys are bad; we are good friends with the twins," Hermione said in defence of the twins.

"Oh, good morning Harry and Hermione. Sorry, I did not see you there," Mandy said. Everyone then exchanged greetings.

"What were we talking about?"

"The Weasleys and you are right when you say that the twins are alright. Especially, since they started that business of theirs rather than annoy everyone with their pranks. But the rest of the family is horrible," Mandy said.

"Do you know the rest of the family?" Harry asked.

"No. But judging by the ones that are currently here, I would not want to," Mandy said.

"I wonder what punishment the parents are going to get for allowing their children to fly a car all the way from London to Hogwarts," Lisa asked.

"Probably a massive fine and maybe even a prison sentence. Especially since the car breaches the new Muggle Protection Act that their father helped write," Mandy said.

"Well at least it won't be Azkaban since it has been destroyed," Padma chimed in.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, pretending to be surprised.

"Yesterday around the time our train left Kings Cross station, there was a massive explosion at the prison that destroyed everything. Anything that survived the initial blast was burnt in the subsequent fire. It was so bad that they don't know if any prisoners escaped. It was just ash everywhere," Mandy said.

"What happened to the dementors?" Hermione asked.

"No one knows. The dementors that were at the prison at the time of the explosion have not been seen and are not responding to orders. It appears only the dementors that were at the Ministry at the time of the explosion are following commands at the moment," Mandy replied.

"Aren't dementors supposedly indestructible?" Su asked.

"That is why it is so puzzling. If they were destroyed then the Ministry wants to know how, but if they were not destroyed, then why aren't they responding?" Mandy asked.

"How do you know all this?" Hermione asked with interest.

"It is a secret; just say I have my sources," Mandy said secretively.

"You probably heard from one of the girls you gossip with," Lisa stated, bursting the image Mandy was trying to create of someone in the know. "Was it from Susan who received a letter from her aunt last night? No. I know who it was. It was Cho's friend Marietta who was flooed by her mother at the Ministry this morning."

"Why would Marietta's mum floo her?" Hermione asked as she did not like Cho or Marietta. She hated Cho because of her treatment of Harry, and Marietta, since she snitched on them to Umbridge.

"Probably swapping gossip since her mother is in such a very weak position at the Ministry. She is desperately looking for information that could either be used to blackmail someone powerful enough to secure her position or an opportunity to move to a more secure position. If Marietta had some interesting news then she is more likely to hear something relevant in return," Mandy said matter-of-factly.

"That is a very cynical view of things," Hermione said.

"It is being realistic; darling, that's how the Ministry works," Mandy said to Hermione in a condescending way.

"Then why would anyone be willing to be friends with her?" Hermione asked.

"Protection: if you are her enemy, she could destroy your reputation through gossip."

"Are you her friend?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I am too scared of her not to be," Mandy said.

"What is her attitude to me and Harry?" Hermione asked.

"She is scared of both of you because of your study group, and no one wants to go against the boy who lived. You would be crazy to try to do anything to Harry," Mandy said.

"Speaking of friends, where is Luna?" Harry asked.

"Why would you want to know? She is a weirdo," Mandy replied.

"I like her. She is different and she only makes all those outrageous comments to protect herself." Harry said with passion, hoping to ensure his friends did not pick on Luna.

"Do you want to be her boyfriend, Harry?" Lisa asked.

Hermione stepped in to end Harry's embarrassment.

"I like her as well. Anyone who picks on her is out of our study group," Hermione said threateningly. This shut up everyone up.

Once the conversation started back up on less controversial subjects, Harry turned to Hermione and whispered,

"Thank you for the diversion."

"I was protecting myself as well; remember we are betrothed," Hermione whispered back.

"Maybe you should start wearing a betrothal ring," Harry suggested.

"That is actually a good idea. I might start receiving some marriage contracts if our betrothal is not well known. Don't get any ideas of taking advantage of the situation. We are using it for our mutual protection," Hermione replied.

"Don't you like me?" Harry asked while giving Hermione the puppy dog look.

"I do like you but we agreed that we will not try dating until we are older. This time we will see if we were really meant to be together without the outside influences that were the Weasels." Hermione was getting angry every time she thought of Ron.

"I can cover you during classes. Why don't you go back to bed?" Harry asked.

"That is sweet but it is not necessary; I will be fine once the coffee kicks in," Hermione said as she kissed Harry on the cheek. The kiss was both for the suggestion and to show that she did care for him and wanted a proper courting.

Hermione stayed close to Harry for the rest of the day, but when Professor Flitwick asked Hermione to stay after class, Harry took the opportunity to slip away and do something he had been dying to do all day.

"Dobby," Harry called.

"Yes Master Potter, Sir," Dobby replied as he popped in.

"Can you organise a rotation of house-elves with cameras to follow Professor Lockhart around? Then, can you report back to me once a day when Hermione is not around what funny things happened to him or embarrassing things he has done. If possible, can they also take pictures of these accidents?"

"Yes. Master Potter."

"Can you please make sure that the house-elves are not seen by the Professor?" Harry said. Dobby huffed and was slightly offended that Harry would suggest that House-elves could not be discrete.

"House-elves are renowned for being unseen," Dobby said proudly.

"That is great, thank you Dobby. Remember that all the house-elves must get enough rest that is why I want a rotation system of house-elves," Harry said.

"Yes, Master," Dobby said as he popped away. After a short wait, Hermione left her discussion with Professor Flitwick.

"What did Professor Flitwick want?" Harry asked.

"He suspects that my family had something to do with the new school that is making waves in the magical world."

"Do you think any of the other Professors share his suspicions?"

"No, but could you imagine if Snape knew. He probably believes that all the funding we provided should have gone to him. If he ever finds out, he will make our life unbearable."

"I will put a post-hypnotic suggestion that Hermione Granger and the Granger Institute are unrelated to each other."

"At the moment, both of us are at risk since the person making the biggest waves is Ashley and she supposedly works for Sirius Black, our magical guardian."

"That is going to be bad… He already hates Sirius, and by association, us. Every time Snivellious reads his professional journals, he will be reminded that his nemesis was funding his biggest rival while he is stuck teaching kids," Harry said, while cringing at the things Snape would try to do.

"It is gets a lot worse. Ashley has become the star of the potion community, replacing Snape who held the position for over a decade. Now the potion community is calling him a has-been who never lived up to his potential. To add insult to injury, Ashley has not only published things that he discovered but a lot stuff that he did not even know about since it was based on research he never had access to or did not know about like tomes from Dumbledore's private library."

"We have double potions tomorrow, too. I think I am going to be sick tomorrow."

"Don't you dare! If you leave me to deal with Snape alone, I will never speak to you again," Hermione said angrily.

Harry began to laugh at Hermione's angry face.

"Don't you remember? Snape cannot do anything to us without approval from Professor Flitwick," he said.

Hermione then punched Harry in the shoulder and said, "You got me worried for nothing."

"What was the rest of the staff's reaction to the wave of innovation and discoveries being made in the New World?" Harry said to get back on a safe topic.

"According to Flitwick, most of the staff reacted positively to the developments and were very interested in the advancements made in their fields. But that is not saying much since staff discussions are less open now that there is a split in the staff."

"Did you ask about the new healer who replaced Poppy?"

"No I did not ask. By the way, how did you know Poppy was replaced? I was going to surprise you the next time you wake up in the infirmary to an unfamiliar face."

"I was there when Dumbledore approached Andy in order to try to get her to fill the position. She slammed the door on his face and banned him from flooing her. It was hilarious. I will provide you a memory of it sometime," Harry said, chuckling at the memory.

"Did Dumbledore know you were there?" Hermione asked with concern.

"No. When I was staying at the Tonks, I would always put on a disguise as soon as the wards around the Tonks place went off," Harry said.

"Dumbledore's glasses can see through disguises you know."

"I always used the Elder Wand because his glasses can't see through it, and it is untraceable by the Ministry."

This response satisfied Hermione because all she said was, "Okay."

"Let's go to our next class or we'll be late," Harry said. This got Hermione moving like nothing else.

After Hermione's study group session, Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "Are you going to bed now?"

"No. I thought I would work on the curse we found on the Hallows."

"That can wait; you're dead on your feet. You should go to bed."

"I am alert now and I know how frustrated you were that you could not work out what the curse was or how to remove it."

"It sucks that I don't understand enough Arithmancy to figure it out on my own."

"Don't worry about it. I enjoy the challenge. Anyway the Arithmancy is so complex I have sent off letters to the professors at the Granger Institute in order to understand the aspects of the curse. By the way, what are you doing tonight?"

"Thought I will fly a bit before putting booby traps in the passageway between Myrtle's bathroom and the Chamber of Secrets."

"Are you going to join the Quidditch team this year, Harry?"

"No. I enjoy flying but I believe that Quidditch is too divisive and too time consuming."

"Are you setting up the booby traps all by yourself?"

"Sirius is going to help me. I told him about the Chamber of Secrets and how I was going to booby trap the passageway between the school and the chamber to prevent Voldemort from accessing it. He demanded to be involved. Pranking the Dark Lord was something he wanted to do for a long time and he would not take no for an answer. It is so important to him that he will to come out hiding to be involved."

"What is going to happen to the Basilisk once you booby trap his exit?"

"He does not mind since we have greatly expanded his lair with our mining classes plus we are planning to move the Acromantula colony into his lair. That way the Basilisk will have access to food whenever he wants, and we get access to the various Acromantula by-products we want."

"That sounds great. How long is it going to take for you to set up all the booby traps?"

"It will take a while; the network of magical and non-magical traps we want to set up is very elaborate because Sirius was involved in much of the design. We will probably work on it once a week. Sirius will let me know via the mirror he gave me when he is available."

"That reminds me has Sirius confronted Remus yet?"

"I don't think so."

"Damn. I guess it can wait until Sirius is no longer at risk."

"Why are you upset?"

"I wanted Remus to write down instructions on how to recreate the mirrors. That way our company can keep in contact with one another."

"Do you trust him to do it?"

"No. I think he will try to screw us over but this way we can use this to prove to Sirius that we gave him another chance which he did not take."

At that moment someone walked past their door. Harry and Hermione quickly clammed up as they did not want their conversation overheard. Deciding that this was not a good time to continue their discussion, Hermione turn to Harry and suggested, "Why don't you go fly? We can talk later."

"Okay," Harry said as he walked off.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

At breakfast the next morning, the Howler from Molly Weasley finally arrived. Harry and Hermione both enjoyed the look of fear that Ron had on his face when the Howler arrived.

"Ronald Weasley! How dare you steal the car and take your sister with you? You are supposed to be Ginny's big brother, showing her how to do things properly and not be a bad example. I am absolutely disgusted with you! We were severely fined, and we were close to being sent to prison because of your immature actions. If you put another toe out of line, we'll bring you straight home!"

The Howler screamed before blowing a raspberry and chewing itself out. Ron, Ginny and Percy looked mortified by the Howler. Surprisingly, the twins were absent for the display. Harry turned to Hermione once everything calmed down.

"I thought it was going to happen yesterday."

"I guess without Dumbledore's protection plus the reputation of the Boy Who Lived being involved, they were properly investigated and charged," Hermione said with a grin on her face.

"That is why Dumbledore has that sad look on his face; he probably tried to help them but failed."

"Why does Malfoy look miserable? I thought he would be happy that his nemesis got chewed out in public."

"I think he just found out that he cannot do anything to us without making his father suffer."

"You told him already without waiting for me… How could you? I was looking forward to the disappointed look on his face when he found out. I wanted to get a little back since he was one of the main culprits that protected all those pure-blood rights while screwing the rest of the magical population over."

"Well you are seeing it now."

"But I missed the best parts like when he was initially told and when he read his father's letter confirming it."

"Sorry."

"Are you sure that is really the main cause? Everyone in Slytherin looks slightly depressed."

"Maybe it's something different."

"We can find out in class this morning when we have potions with them."

"Have you noticed that we have Potions with Slytherin and Transfiguration with them as well? It seems that any subject we share with Slytherin is taught by a teacher aligned with Dumb-n-Dork. Last time round it was the same thing but we were in Gryffindor at the time."

"You are alright. I think Dumb-n-Dork has manipulated the timetable so that would occur. He probably does not want us associating with Slytherins."

"Why don't we go to class early so we can do what Dumb-n-Dork does not want us to do?"

"That sounds like a great idea plus as an added bonus we get to find out what got the Slytherins so pissed."

They went to class early but the Slytherins did not arrive until just before class began. This puzzled Harry and Hermione since the Slytherins liked to get to this class early so that they could taunt the other houses before Snape arrived. When class began, Snape was unusually tough on not just the Ravenclaw students but also to the Slytherins. The only exception was Harry and Hermione. That could be attributed to Harry's earlier post-hypnotic suggestion. Whenever Hermione or Harry tried to engage one of the Slytherins in conversation, they would not respond at all. By the end of the class Harry and Hermione were getting nowhere, so they gave up.

At the end of lunch, Hermione asked Mandy. "Do you know what happened to the Slytherins? They have been unusually quiet today."

Mandy moved in close to Hermione and whispered "It is a secret but last night, Professor Snape called the entire house together and demanded to know who stole his notes and passed them to some new potions mistress."

"Why did he think it was a present member of his house?"

"He says that some of the discoveries made mention to things he only discovered last year and only Slytherins have had access to his private quarters where he kept his notes."

"Could it not be someone that has already graduated?"

"He claims that if that were the case, then they would say it is their own work rather than give someone else the credit." Hermione was smiling but not for the reason Mandy thought she was smiling about. Hermione realised that Snape was now chasing shadows. She immediately told Harry what she just heard[,] and he came to the same conclusion.

"We need to reinforce the belief that a Slytherin is involved in the theft.[,]" Hermione said.

"Maybe we should steal some of Snape's notes, and put them in among Draco's belongings. It will only be a matter of time before Snape start searching through his students' belongings," Harry suggested.

"That sounds great. If it works, I will forgive you for not letting me tell Draco about the agreement."

"We need to do it tonight because Snape is probably going to do the search on a weekend when he has the time."

"Yes, I agree. This is something we can do together."

"We need to see the twins; if Snape starts looking outside his house the twins will be his biggest target."

"Let's go now. Do you see them anywhere?"

"No. Cover me and I will check on the Marauders' Map to see where they are." Harry said as he pulled out the map. Hermione leaned over him and pretended to speak to Terry while Harry checked the map for twins' location.

"They are coming towards us."

"Hi Harry, Hermione."

"Hi Fred, George. How can we help the famous Weasley twins today?" Harry said with exuberance.

"Can we talk in private?"

"Sure," Harry said and they all proceeded to an empty classroom.

"So what is up?"

"Do you mind letting us borrow the Marauders' Map?"

"Sure. Why do you need it? Harry asked as he pulled out the Map.

"Our little sister, Ginny, has gone missing. She attended breakfast and has not been seen since. When she did not show up for lunch we knew something was wrong. We thought rather than search all over the school like what our brothers, Percy and Ron are doing right now, we would check the Marauders' Map to make sure she was still here," George explained as Fred searched the map for Ginny.

"Found her. She is in one of the girls' toilets on the second floor," Fred says said in triumph. The Weasley twins missed the scared look that appeared momentarily on Harry and Hermione's faces when told of Ginny's location. They communicated with a few quick hand signals before Hermione said, "Maybe I should go with the two of you. After all, she is in a girls' toilet."

Fred and George paled at the thought of rushing to Ginny's rescue only to find out that she was suffering from a severe case of the runs, or worse, finding another girl in a half-dressed state. In either case, the results would not be pretty.

"That sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Hermione, for being so thoughtful," George said.

"Are you coming too?" Fred asked Harry.

"I don't think so. Girls' toilets are not my thing," Harry replied.

"That might actually be a good idea. Ginny has a major crush on you," George said.

"See you all later."

"Can we meet sometime tomorrow? There is something we want to discuss with you."

"Sure. It cannot be until after 7 tomorrow night because of Hermione's study group. How does 8 sound to you? It will give us an hour to deal with whatever you want to talk about."

"That sounds great. We will meet you at the old classroom on the sixth floor."

"Do you mind if Hermione accompanies me?"

"Not at all." With that statement Fred, George and Hermione left the room.

As soon as they had gone, Harry raced to the Room of Requirement so that he could use the vanishing cabinet to get to the Chamber of Secrets. He spent the next half an hour checking the passageway between the school and the chamber to make sure that Ginny had not been there. It was a relieved Harry that made his way back to Hogwarts assured that Ginny had not made it to the Chamber of secrets, which was also confirmed by the Basilisk.

In the meantime, Hermione, Fred and George made their way to Moaning Myrtle's toilets. When Hermione tried to open the door, she discovered it was locked.

"What is wrong?" Fred asked Hermione.

"The door is locked," Hermione replied as she tried the Alohomora spell to unlock the door without success.

"Let me try," George said as he repeated the same process as Hermione with the same result.

"I guess we better call a professor to help us," Fred said as he turned to leave.

"Wait! Why don't I try a few things first before you call a professor?" Hermione suggested. Fred and George looked at each other with a puzzled look on their faces.

"Go right ahead," George said as he moved out of the way.

Hermione first tried the ward detection spell that Doug had taught her but the spell detected no wards. She then switched to a spell detection charm that Jake showed her. This time the spell shows a number of unusual charms including a notice me not charm, Silencio and a Protego. Hermione quickly dispelled each of these charms. As she finally opened the toilet door, Ginny came rushing out of the toilet, knocking Hermione down in the process.

Fred intercepted the crying Ginny and pulled her into a hug while George helped Hermione up. When Ginny realised who was hugging her, she relaxed and started sobbing uncontrollably. Once Ginny had calmed down, George asked, "What happened?"

"I had just finished breakfast and had gone to a toilet on the way to my first class. When I tried to leave, I found the door locked. So I started screaming for help. A ghost appeared saying that no one cares. I screamed even louder to escape the ghost without much success. After I got tired of screaming, the ghost started telling me all about her grievances since she knew I could not escape. I don't know what was worse, being trapped in a toilet or having to listen to a ghost complain to me for over an hour. Please let me go home," Ginny said with a pleading voice.

"You can ask mum and dad but I doubt they will let you go home. This is someone's bad idea of a prank and a bit of homesickness," Fred said reassuringly. Ginny started crying again.

"It is not homesickness. I was dragged by the moron, Ron into a flying car and then the idiot crashed into a tree. I got loads of detentions because of that fool. Everyone is looking at me because of my strange entry into Hogwarts, and now I get trapped in a toilet," Ginny said with frustration.

"It is going to be alright," Fred said as he tightened his hug.

"I will leave you to it," Hermione said as she turned to leave the family moment they were having.

"Thanks, Hermione," George said.

"Do you want me to find your brothers and tell them what happened?" Hermione asked. A smile creeps across George's face.

"We will find them later," George replied.

Hermione made her way to the first DADA class of the year where Harry was waiting for her.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Someone locked Ginny in Moaning Myrtle's toilet for a few hours. I wish I thought of that as one of the punishments I had planned for her. Having to listen to Myrtle moan for a few hours is torture in any person's language," Hermione replied happily. "What happened to you?"

"I checked the Chamber of Secrets but thankfully, Ginny did not go there. I have organised a rotation of house-elves to monitor Myrtle's toilets and inform me if anyone tries to open the sink. This will ensure that we are aware of anyone going into the chamber before we finish setting up the booby-traps," Harry explained.

"That a good idea," Hermione managed to say just before Lockhart entered the classroom.

He looked slightly less polished than usual but apart from that, Lockhart was his normal boastful self. The DADA class was a write off with Lockhart giving the same quiz as last time. Thankfully, this time he did not release any Cornish pixies but instead he talked about his time at Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw student.

That evening, Harry continued his research into the detection grid that the British Ministry of Magic used to identify new Muggleborns. The additional scrutiny from Madam Pince, the Hogwarts librarian, meant that Harry could not help with the copying of the restricted section. His assistance in this endeavour was not really necessary, as the house-elves could borrow books from Hogwarts' library without anyone knowing. Alice's mum would copy these books before having the house- elves return these books to the Hogwarts' Library. Alice and Emily provided some assistance when necessary.

Hermione was watching the Marauders' Map. She was waiting for Draco to be alone at the same time when Snape was anywhere but his office. Half an hour before curfew, the opportunity still had not arisen, so Harry went into his apartment trunk. Once there he called out for Dobby.

"Yes, Mr Potter, Sir," Dobby said as he popped in.

"I need a number of things. The first thing I need is a completed Polyjuice Potion from Ashley's store room. Can you leave this note on Ashley's desk telling her that I took one of her potions?" Harry said as he handed Dobby a note he wrote earlier in the day. Dobby took the note and disappeared, reappearing a few seconds later with the requested potion.

"The next thing I need is for you to collect some hair from your old master's son." Harry said. Anticipating that request Dobby produced a few of strands of Draco's hair. Harry wished that he could use Dobby to steal Draco's wand but he knew that he could not afford to tarnish his reputation with the house-elves or Hermione would kill him.

"Finally I need one of the time turners. Can you get one for me?" Harry asked. Dobby popped away and return with the requested item before popping away after Harry thanked him.

Harry changed in a spare set of school uniforms before taking the Polyjuice Potion with Draco's hair. After he turned into Draco, he transfigured his clothes to look like the Slytherin's uniform and readjusted the clothes so they fit the his new frame. Putting on his invisibility cloak, Harry went in search of Draco using the Marauders' Map. When he found Draco, Harry used a curse that made a person's groin extremely itchy. Harry watched with amusement as Draco tried to restrain from scratching before giving in. Draco excused himself so that he could scratch himself more thoroughly. That was when Harry struck.

Harry stunned Draco before injecting him with a muggle sleeping drug. Pocketing Draco's wand, he put Draco to bed under a notice me not spell. It was timed so that it would dispel after 3 hours. Once that was done, Harry broke into Snape's office using Draco's wand, and once there, Harry made two copies of all the notes he could find. One set of the notes he was going to pass to Dobby to give to Ashley. The other set would be placed in a secret compartment in Draco's trunk that Harry had created using Draco's wand. Harry then returned Draco's wand and went into the Ravenclaw toilets to allow the Polyjuice to wear off. As soon as Harry returned to normal, Harry changed back into his regular uniform. He then used the time turner so that it appeared as though he had just gone to the toilet.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

At 8pm the next evening, Harry and Hermione went to their scheduled meeting with the twins. When they arrived, Harry and Hermione found the twins hunched over a set of books with a lot of numbers in it. As they got closer, Harry was able to recognise the book that was their ledger.

"Do you want to talk about our joint venture? So, how brilliantly did we do?" Harry said happily.

"This meeting is not about our joint venture, even though we did extremely well. We supplied all or most of the school supplies for about 65 to 75 percent of all second year and above students," Fred said proudly.

"Then what do you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked.

"The problem is our family's financial situation is dire straits. We thought we were poor before but now the situation is way worse," Fred added.

"You see, the fine my parents got for our little brother's stunt is close to bankrupting us. Selling our home will barely cover the fine. Then we will have to start paying rent. Our parents will not be able afford to send us to school and pay rent at the same time."

"Can't your older brothers help?" Hermione asked.

"Charlie does not make much money from his job. It is really his calling so he cannot help. Bill, our eldest brother, was working in Egypt as a curse breaker. Since he is junior and unqualified in the eyes of the goblins, he is not making much money. So he has decided to come home and work in the Ministry instead to help out."

"How about our joint venture?" Harry asked.

"It makes nowhere near that kind of money. The only way we can save our home is if we use all the money we got without paying you guys. That includes the cost of the things that were purchased. It will breach our contract, and we are scared of what will happen then."

"We don't want you to lose your home. Why don't you allow us help you? We can work out a new agreement that will satisfy everyone?" Hermione suggested. Then Harry, Hermione and the twins took some time to negotiate a new agreement. The final result was that Harry would lend them as much money as they needed to save their home, and he would also pay all the twins educational costs. In return Harry was given the option to invest in any new business ventures the twins get involved in the future.

After the negotiations had been completed, Fred asked,

"Is there anything you want to talk about, or can we give the good news to our worried parents?"

Harry decided to delay them since he wanted Arthur and Molly Weasley to stew for a bit.

"We wanted to warn you that Professor Snape is on the war path. He suspects someone stole his notes, and we wanted to know if you can protect your mind from his probes."

"What probes are you talking about? If it is anal, then we will never let him, and I don't think he is kinky in that way. I've never seen him looking at our butts but maybe he exclusive to Dumbledore. That would explain how he able to get away with blue murder without the headmaster taking action," George said while batting his eye lids.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. I mean mental probes where he scan your minds for information," Harry said in defence of Hermione.

"No. We have never felt it," Fred replied.

"Do you mind if we try to scan your mind? I want to see if you do have any protection," Harry asked. Fred and George looked at each other.

"Alright, since you have been so willing to help us. Besides, we want to protect our business secrets from the Greasy Git," George said. Harry launched his attack on George, and all he found was a buzzing sound. He was not able to identify a single memory from George.

"Have you launch your attack on me yet?" George asked.

"I already tried. Let us see if I get the same results with Fred if that is alright?"

"Okay."

"Are you ready?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead already," Fred said impatiently. It was same as George.

"I cannot read either of your minds. This is not any mind art defence I seen or know about," Harry said.

"Do you think that, as twins, they have developed their own mental shields?" Hermione asked.

"I think what has happened is that they are constantly communicating between themselves so any outside attack needs to be fast enough to follow the conversation they are having in their heads. It is like trying to follow a supersonic game of table tennis when you can only see one side of the net." Harry says.

"What would happen if one was asleep or stunned?" Hermione asked.

"Do you mind if we try stunning one of you and seeing if we can read the others mind?" Harry asked

"In for penny," George started.

"In for pound," Fred completed.

"Who should I stun?" Harry asked. Fred pointed to George and George pointed to Fred.

"Let's flip a coin. Fred, why don't you call." Harry said.

Both Fred and George said "Heads" at the same time. Harry flipped the coin without letting them see. He then asked,

"Which of you is Fred?" Fred pointed to George and George pointed to Fred. Hermione was tired of the game that the twins were playing. So she shot a stunner at both of them. George got hit.

"There that is settled. Who are you?" Hermione asked the remaining twin.

"I am Fred," Fred said hesitatingly. Harry then shot a Legilimency attack on Fred and this time he had no problems reading his mind. After checking a memory, he ended the atttack.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Fred.

"Fine. Did you do something this time because I felt something?" Fred said.

"When I encountered your natural shields, that is when you became aware of my attack. The stronger the shields, the more painful the attack would feel." Harry explained. He remembered when he was going through Auror training, and his trainers informed him of this fact. He realised that Snape was not training him in Fifth year. Snape was destroying his mental shields so that Voldemort could enter his mind more easily, and they would know more about Voldemort's plans. While Dumbledore could also pass on discrete messages to Voldemort like attack Amelia by exposing a potential problem with Harry.

"As long as both of you are conscious, the two of you won't have to worry about Professor Snape trying to read your minds. But if one is stunned then the other is readable," Harry announced. He did not want to teach them the mind arts as they would in all likelihood teach people that Harry and Hermione did not like or trust like Ron and Ginny. Then inspiration hit Harry.

"I know a spell that is used to be by military teams and deeply devoted couples. What the spell does is it allows you to buffer each other against the impact of curses, hexes and even some potions. That way if someone tries to stun one of you, then the other can weaken the attack to the point where it has no effect or both of you will be knocked out but for a shorter period. This way you will always be protected from any mental probes, and you can help each other if attack occurs," Harry suggested.

The twins started speaking to each other about the offer before one of them said,

"Okay. We will allow you to perform the spell on us. By the way, how did you know about the spell?"

This caught Harry off guard. The spell was in a book from Dumbledore's secret private library.

"I found it in one of the private libraries I have access to," Harry said since he did not want lie to the twins but did not want them to know the full truth. This satisfied the twins as they knew that private libraries was something that ancient families had and were very protective of.

"Do you want to do it now, or do you need to prepare?" one of the twins asked.

"I will need to retrieve a book from my dorm first but I should be able to do it tonight," Harry said as he opened the door to the classroom they were in. All of a sudden a flash of light hit Harry. His battle instincts immediately kicked in as he rolled out the way and was about to fire a disarming curse when Hermione stopped him.

"That was amazing!" An excited Colin said in shock at the reaction by Harry. Colin's camera was clearly the cause of the flash that set Harry off. Hermione grabbed Harry's arm to prevent him from doing anything rash. Then Hermione said to Colin,

"I would not recommend you surprise Harry that way again. Next time I might not be there, and he could very well accidentally curse you." This statement scared Colin a little as he did not want to be at the business end of a wand held by the person that defeated Voldemort.

"Lockhart loves being photographed. I am sure that if you take some embarrassing photos of Lockhart, it would not be hard to convince Harry to allow you to take a photo with him and get him to sign it in exchange for those embarrassing photos of Lockhart," Hermione said in a conciliatory manner to Colin. This brightened Colin up immediately.

"If you promise not try to take my picture without permission, I could arrange a job for you," Harry offered.

"Would I be working for you?" Colin asked excitedly.

"No. They are good friends of mine," Harry replied.

"Oh," Colin said, disappointed that he was not working for his idol.

"If you work hard on the job and get a few good embarrassing photos of Lockhart, I will make sure that Harry would teach you something himself," Hermione said which resulted in a very happy Colin at the thought of being trained by his idol while Harry was not amused by Hermione's offer.

When Colin calmed down, he asked,

"What is the job?"

"I was thinking you can help the Weasley twins create a catalogue of the things they want to sell. You can take photos of the products they have on offer," Harry suggested.

"Could you introduce me to the Weasley twins now?" Colin asked.

"I need to talk to them first. Why don't you follow Professor Lockhart until curfew?" Harry advised. Colin was off like a flash at the suggestion.

Harry and Hermione then went into a empty classroom before Harry called for Dobby.

"How can I help Master Harry, Sir and Mistress Hermy, Miss?" Dobby asked as he popped in.

"Can you get me the book Battle Magic by Alfred Dumbledore?" Harry requested. Dobby popped away.

When Dobby reappeared, he had the original copy of the requested book. Hermione pulled out a blank book that she always carries in her backpack and began copying the book. Once the book was copied, Harry gave the original back to Dobby to return to wherever he found it.

They then made their way back to the classroom where the twins were staying. As soon as they reached the classroom, one of the twins started saying,

"Do you need us to take off our clothes?"

"Is virgin sacrifices needed?" the other twin asked.

"We willingly offer Ron and Percy as sacrificial lambs," The twins joked.

As much as I want to take you up on your offer, it is not necessary for the spell," Harry said.

"Can we hex them and say that it was necessary in this spell?"

"Go ahead. In fact, why don't you use this spell here: it will break their nose, and it can not be fixed using magical means?" Harry suggested while showing them a spell that was in the battle magic book he had with him. The twins began practising the spell.

Then Harry turned to them and asked,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," The twins said simultaneously. Harry performed the spell while looking at the book to ensure everything went correctly.

"Done. Now Fred, I need you to punch George," Harry said seriously even though he was trying not to laugh. The twins punched each other, and both of them were out like a light. Harry and Hermione burst into uncontrolled fits of laughter. When they got their laughter under control, Harry woke them up by spraying ice cold water at them from his wand.

"We still need to test whether the spell works," Harry said after putting on his serious voice again.

"I don't think punching each other will test anything. Why don't you try to stun one of us and see whether the other can help overcome it?" Fred suggested.

"Why don't we turn this into a DADA class for dodging?" Harry suggested. The twins immediately started moving and making themselves as difficult a target for Harry as possible.

"Do you want the honours?" Harry asked Hermione. Hermione immediately fired a stunner at one of the twins but both of them were knocked unconscious.

"I guess the spell worked," Harry said to Hermione as they woke the twins up.

"I thought you said that we can buffer each other against stunner," Fred said angrily.

"It would take some time and a lot of practice for you do that. One of the immediate benefits though is that you can shake off the Imperius curse."

"Cool," The twins said simultaneously.

"We are more than willing to give you practice in overcoming the stunners or any number of hexes," Harry offered with a smile on this face.

"NO!" The twins screamed simultaneously.

"I have noticed that you stopped doing that twin speak where one twin will say something and the other twin will finish it. Is it deliberate or an accident?" Harry asked.

"We know how it annoys you, so we tried to keep it to a minimum in your divine presence." George said while pretending to be experiencing religious fervour.

"If you miss our unique," Fred started saying.

"way of communicating? We can start doing it," George continued.

"again when we are talking to you," Fred concluded.

"Enough of the twin speak. That will fill my quota for the rest of my time at Hogwarts," Harry said quickly.

"Only trying to help," Fred said.

"There is something we want to talk to you about," Hermione said.

"Shoot," George said. Hermione took out her wand and pretended to be preparing to fire off a curse at them. George and Fred both shook their hands in front of them indicating to Hermione not to fire.

"Don't shoot. Ask your question," Fred said quickly.

"It is really a favour. We want you to hire someone. His name is Colin Creevey, and he is in first year," Hermione explained.

"Why do you want us to hire the little bugger?" George asked.

"He is a photographer and can be very annoying. We hoping you two can keep him busy by getting him to photograph every item in your catalogue," Harry stated.

"We can do it later but cash flow is a problem at the moment," Fred said.

"Don't worry about that. We will pay for his services. This should be enough to pay for his equipment, supplies and wages," Harry said as he put a sack of gold on the table.

"I think we got ourselves a new worker bee," Fred said to George with a mischievous tone.

"Think of what we can do with the additional help," George said.

"Are you sure this is good idea?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know but we will see," Harry said.

"Oh, by the way, Colin is also following Professor Lockhart around trying to capture his embarrassing moments on camera. If you want, feel free to prank Professor Lockhart so that Colin has additional material," Harry said with a grin on his face as he directed the genius pranksters towards Lockhart and away from himself. This got the Weasley twins thinking, which gave Harry and Hermione the perfect opportunity to leave before they got dragged into whatever the twins were planning.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

On the Saturday night, Dobby woke Harry up.

"What is the matter, Dobby?" Harry asked half asleep.

"Sorry, Master Harry, Sir but you told me to wake you if someone entered the passageway between the school and Chamber of Secrets," Dobby replied.

Harry started dressing immediately. As soon as he was in his trunk, Harry Portkeyed to the trap free area in the passageway between the school and the Chamber of Secrets. When he arrived, he found Ginny unconscious from trap that had been triggered. Harry levitated the unconscious Ginny into his arms. He replaced the trap that had been tripped and poured Firewhiskey down Ginny's unconscious throat. Once he was sure Ginny was drunk enough, he took Ginny to Hogsmeade. Harry used Ginny's wand to break into the Three Broomsticks, and he placed Ginny into a chair with a half empty bottle of firewhiskey in her hand. Harry then removed all traces from Ginny of the trap she triggered and left her there. Once finished, he then used a time turner to go back to bed.

The next morning, Harry informed Hermione of what had happened last night and what he did. Hermione broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Ginny is going to be very angry at Tom for getting her into trouble," Hermione said when she finally got herself under control.

"A redhead's temper is legendary, and I am wondering if this is going to have any impact on our plans," Harry said.

"I doubt it since Tom already has a strong hold over Ginny by now. It takes a lot of control to take over someone without them knowing. The only problem will be the reactions of her brothers."

"You are right. Her brothers are not going let her do anything by herself, and she will probably be locked in at night so that she cannot leave."

"Tom is resourceful and he will think of something. This fits perfectly into our plans since the incident will be interpreted as Voldemort being angry that his followers deserted him so he decided to get drunk. That will be later," Hermione reassured Harry.

When they arrived at breakfast later than usual, all the Weasleys were absent, which was not surprising in the least. Mandy dragged Hermione into the seat next to her.

"You're going love the gossip I have got for you. I know that you don't like Draco but this gossip is all about him," Mandy said as soon as Hermione was seated. "As you know the Slytherins have been trying all week to offload any illegal contraband they had. The Weasley twins have been buying most of it. Anyway, the reason became clear this morning. It seems that Professor Snape, their Head of House, was doing an inspection of every dorm. It seems that all the Slytherins knew about it, and they were trying to offload as much they could. Snape was still able to find quite a bit of contraband, and about a third of the house now has detention or has lost house points.

During the inspection, Snape had found a copy of all his notes in Draco's possession. He did not think his godson stole his notes, but believed that someone else from Slytherin was cunning enough to make Draco their scapegoat. Draco still got detention for not being smart enough to avoid being used as a scapegoat. That is why he looked so miserable this morning.

"How did you find out?"

"Tracey Davis from our year told me, she believes that all the other houses are going to be inspected today as well."

"Why does she think the other houses are going to be inspected as well?"

"They found a lot of contraband."

"We need to warn the Weasley twins," Harry said.

"Don't worry. I am sure the Slytherins will tell them since a lot of the Slytherins could not live without the services that the twins provide," Mandy said reassuringly.

"I still want to make sure that they have been warned," Harry said.

"I will accompany you," Hermione said.

As soon as they were out of sight, Harry said to Hermione, "I think we might have lost the diary."

"Where are Ginny and the twins now?" Hermione asked. Harry took out the Marauders' Map and searched for the Weasleys. They were all in the headmaster's office.

"There is nothing we can do now. I say we grab some breakfast before we move all but our essential equipment out of Hogwarts," Harry suggested.

"That seems like a good idea. I think I will grab some fruit so that I can work while having my breakfast because in all likelihood our dorms are going to be one of the first inspected."

"Do you have that much stuff?" Harry asked.

"No, not really, but I want to check my stuff after I cleared everything out to make sure I did not leave anything. Then I will check your stuff as well to make sure that you did not forget anything."

"Do want me to check your stuff?" Harry offered. This got an outraged reaction from Hermione.

"I don't think so, buddy. I will get one of the girls to check my stuff for me," Hermione said in response to his offer.

A little later, after Harry had finished clearing his non-essential stuff, Hermione came along and started checking Harry's stuff. Hermione found one of Harry's Invisibility Cloaks. She was pleased to note that Harry had put away the Marauders' Map and his spare wands. When Hermione showed Harry, the Invisibility Cloak she found, he just replied with an embarrassed "Oops."

"What if the Professors found it? They would have confiscated in a second."

"I know. At least it is not my Dad's family heirloom."

"How about your Basilisk armour and protection necklaces?"

"I am wearing a set of the Basilisk Armour and one of the protection necklaces. The rest is not here at Hogwarts."

"I think you should take it off and give it to Dobby to put in my old home for now."

"But I feel naked without it on…" Harry complained.

"Do you prefer feeling naked for a few hours or letting the Professors know how we can overcome curses fired at us?"

"Okay. I will take it off," Harry said knowing she was right.

While Harry was changing out of his Basilisk Armour, Professor Flitwick arrived with Professor McGonagall accompanying him.

"Everyone stop what you are doing. This is a surprise inspection for contraband materials," Professor Flitwick announced. "Prefects gather everyone up and have them gather over there."

"What do you consider contraband materials?" a student asked.

"Anything on Filch's list and anything that can cause harm to others," Professor Flitwick explained. This relaxed most students but caused others to worry.

When Harry finally came out of the toilets without his protective necklace or Basilisk Armour there was a group of prefects and Professor McGonagall going through all the stuff in their dorm.

One of the Prefects looked up as soon as he noticed Harry. He then said, "Harry, please go down to the common room. We are conducting a surprise inspection."

"Okay," Harry said before heading to the common room. When he arrived, two prefects and Professor Flitwick searched him before being let him pass.

"Is this legal?" a fellow Ravenclaw student asked.

"Actually it is part of the charter, even though it has not been done in years," a seventh year student stated.

"Have they found any of the Weasley twin's catalogues yet?" Harry asked.

"Even if they do find it, The Professors will think it is just a history textbook. Only students can see it as a catalogue. Why do you think they have not been caught yet?"

"What about the prefects?" Harry asked.

"If they don't use the service themselves, then they know that their classmates will kill them if they blabbed. I think that anyone caught with contraband purchased from the twins will not admit they got it from them. This would make their classmates mad at them, and the twins will never deal with them again. It would be worse than almost anything the professors could come up with," another Ravenclaw student explained. All of a sudden, Professor McGonagall and the Prefects came from the Second year dorms. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick conversed for a few minutes, and then Professor Flitwick asked loudly, "Mr. Corner, do mind explaining why you have girl's underwear in your trunk?"

"It is not what you think..." Michael Corner said quickly. "Cho and Marietta told me to take Luna's underwear."

"Cho and Marietta, do you mind telling why you made Mr. Corner steal Luna's underwear?"

"It was a game; that is all."

"Miss Lovegood, are you wearing any underwear?"

"No, Sir."

"Do you have any underwear?"

"No, Sir."

"Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe, it is not a game when you steal someone's underwear. You have both got one month's detention with me. Mr. Corner you have a week's worth of detention."

"Is it not a bit harsh?" Professor McGonagall tried to intercede on their behalf.

"This has nothing to do with you Minerva; this is an internal house matter," Professor Flitwick said threateningly.

"Don't blame me when they go Dark..." Professor McGonagall said.

"If we don't show them that the behaviour is wrong, how are they supposed to know? Actions without consequences lead to Darkness; it is not caused by making people responsible for their actions," a very angry Professor Flitwick forcibly replied. Professor McGonagall decided to back down quickly, seeing how mad Professor Flitwick was.

"Mr Potter, I need to see you," Professor McGonagall announced.

"I don't think so; do you remember the agreement between the headmaster and me?" Harry said.

"Professor Flitwick, you may deal with him," Professor McGonagall said before walking away, unhappily mumbling under her breath.

"Yes Professor. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Why do you have such a big trunk?"

"I like to have a little private place of my own. I have looked it up, and it is not against the rules. The only reason why most students don't have trunks like this is because of the cost of getting such a trunk. Did you find anything else that you wish to question?" Harry asked.

"No, nothing from you. Only a few of your classmates had some slight issues with a small quantity of items, but nothing major so far. However, we still have to complete the third years and above," Professor Flitwick replied.

The Ravenclaw students were kept in their common room while the two professors and the prefects continued the search for illegal items. At lunch time, they were all finally let out. Harry and Hermione went immediately into an empty classroom where they called for Dobby to get their items back. They retrieved their Basilisk Armour, protective necklaces, Invisibility Cloaks, the Marauders' Map and two time turners. They put on their protective gear before using the time turners to their maximum capability. Hermione immediately did the time spell.

"It is an hour after breakfast," Hermione said.

"The inspection would already have commenced. This means that we have an hour's gap where we don't know the location of Ginny. It is enough time for her to hide the diary if the Professors have not taken it from her. This could definitely ruin our plans," Harry said.

"I don't think so. She is still considered as possessed until they destroy the diary. Where is Ginny right now?"

"She is currently in the second floor girls' toilet. It looks like she is serving detention since Filch is with her as is Percy as well. That must be a cruel detention since she hates those toilets."

"Well the Professors think she sneaked out of Hogwarts, broke into the Three Broomsticks and got drunk. Dumbledore probably took suspension and expulsion off the table as possible punishments, so that would be the next best punishment," Hermione speculated.

"We should search through Ginny's things to make sure she did not leave the diary in her room."

"You can't go into the girls' dorm, remember. I will search Ginny's things while you warn the twins about the upcoming surprise inspection."

"Okay," Harry said. Hermione headed off to the Gryffindor first year girl's dorm to search Ginny's belongings. Harry then searched the Marauders' Map to find the Weasley twins, only to discover they were in the Gryffindor Common Room with their brother, Ron. Since this time round he was a Ravenclaw student, going into the Gryffindor Common Room was not a good idea. He quickly wrote a message on a piece of paper informing them of the inspection before turning it into an airplane, like they did in the Ministry.

Since there was nothing he could do until Hermione came back, Harry looked to see what was happening on the Marauders' Map. Snape was in his classroom with Draco and a few other Slytherins, probably conducting detention. Professors Vector, Sprout and Lockhart were in the Hufflepuff common room and quarters, most likely conducting an inspection. Seeing Lockhart, Harry was reminded that he should look at the reports and photos that the house elves obtained on Lockhart.

"Dobby," Harry called.

"Yes. Master Harry, Sir?"

"Can you get me the reports and photos of Professor Lockhart?" Harry asked. Dobby quickly returned with the requested items.

"Is that all?" Dobby asked.

"Yes. Thank you Dobby," Harry said absent-mindedly as he read the reports. It appeared that Lockhart was sleeping in his classroom rather than going into his quarters or his office. In fact, he spent as little time in his quarters or office as possible. That why it had such little effect on him so far. Harry then went to Lockhart's quarters and put house-elf wards around the rooms. This would mean that Lockhart would have to go into the rooms himself if he wanted anything from them. He was planning a night time excursion to Lockhart's classroom to put a redirection ward around Lockhart so that his mail went to his office instead of to him. It was during this planning that Hermione arrived.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"I am trying to get Lockhart to go to his office more since he has been avoiding his office and private quarters as much as possible. In fact, he has being sleeping in his classroom," Harry said.

"Why don't you strip him down to his underwear and put him into a deep sleep? His first Monday class will find him in that undressed state and asleep. If that does not make him sleep in his private quarters, then we will have to think of something else," Hermione suggested.

"That sounds like a good plan. Did you find the Diary?" Harry asked.

"No I could not find the Diary. But I did find a lot of pictures of you plus an entire book where she has practised signing her married name, Ginerva Molly Potter," Hermione said cheekily.

"Never going to happen… I will kill myself before I do that again," Harry stated emphatically.

"Did you tell the twins about the inspection?"

"I sent them a message via paper aeroplane since I cannot go into their common room."

"Let's plan this excursion together. After that, we can go to lunch and see if the twins got your message," Hermione suggested.

It was halfway through lunch before the Weasley twins arrived with their brothers and Ginny. Harry finished his lunch and waited for the twins to be alone so that he could talk to them. Near the end of lunch, Harry decided he could not wait any longer so he approached the twins, who were in a deep discussion with their siblings.

"George, Fred, can I talk to you?" Harry asked. The twins looked at each other before nodding.

"We will speak to you later," George said to Ron, Percy and Ginny.

"Sorry for interrupting you back there; I hope I did not interrupt anything important," Harry said.

"No problem, you are going hear about anyway so we might as well tell you. Professor Snape knows about it, so I doubt he will keep his mouth shut. Ginny was found drunk at the Three Broomsticks this morning. She lucky she was not expelled, suspended, or charged for burglary. We are organising a rotating schedule where we watch over her since she claims she was sleep walking," George replied with concern over his sister's behaviour.

"Sorry to hear about your troubles. So how did she get out of the burglary charge?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall had to call on a favour to get the charge dropped. She was not happy about it, but the Headmaster forced her to. In fact, if Professor McGonagall had her way, Ginny would have been suspended. Dumbledore would not hear of it while Snape, the git, was pushing for expulsion."

"Anyway, did you get my message?"

"We did. Thank you for the warning but it was not necessary. When the Slytherins started trying to sell us things on the banned list, we knew something was up. We moved all our stuff into an empty classroom."

"I think you better go now, as I think your dorms will be searched right after lunch."

"See you later, Harry," the twins said as they left.

That evening, after dinner Dumbledore got up to make an announcement.

"As you all will have noticed, we have just completed a surprise inspection of all students. I am disappointed to note how much contraband we discovered. Please familiarise yourselves with the list of banned items," Dumbledore stated, which brought a smile to Filch's face that looked extremely out of place.

"Let us hope that it will not be necessary to repeat the inspection," Dumbledore said while looking directly at Professor Snape. Then Dumbledore sat down.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Harry and Hermione had decided to carry out their plan for Lockhart mid-week when they were his first class of the day. So the night before their DADA class, Harry and Hermione snuck into the DADA classroom in the middle of the night. Hermione put the owl redirection charm on Lockhart while Harry stripped him. Harry then put Lockhart into a deep sleep which would take a strong counter curse to wake him. While Harry did that, Hermione transfigured Lockhart's underwear to show Professor McGonagall's face surrounding by love hearts. On Lockhart's butt, Hermione wrote "My One True Love". When Harry saw what Hermione had done, he burst out laughing. Harry then transfigured the chair that Lockhart was sitting on so that Lockhart could not move, this way only Professor McGonagall could release Lockhart from his chair. Once all that was done they left and went back to bed.

The next morning, Harry and Hermione woke up early in anticipation of the upcoming spectacle. They went to breakfast and Mandy was her usual gossipy self; talking away when Harry and Hermione arrived.

"What are you talking about today?" Hermione asked.

"We were wondering why they have not gotten rid of Moaning Myrtle. She is being more annoying than usual," Mandy said.

"What did she do this time?" Hermione asked.

"Every time someone goes into her toilets, she asks them whether or not they are going to throw something at her again,"

"When did she start doing it?" Harry asked.

"Since Monday, Why are you so interested?" Mandy asked suspicious of Harry's interest.

"I am thinking that someone had tried to get rid of banned items by flushing them down the toilets," Harry said which resulted in him and Hermione sharing a look.

"It could be possible…" Mandy admitted.

"Do you know what was thrown at her?" Harry asked.

"Me, talk to Moaning Myrtle? You have got to be kidding. I try to avoid her as much as I can. Even if I am desperate I would never use her toilet," Mandy declared.

"Just asking, don't get your knickers in a knot," Harry said before beginning his breakfast. A little later Hedwig appeared with a letter for Hermione.

"What does the letter say?" Mandy asked.

"It is just my parents asking how everything is that is all," Hermione replied before continuing her breakfast.

"What does the letter really say?" Harry whispers to Hermione.

"They want to meet us at my old home tonight," Hermione whispers back.

"Okay,"

They decided to stay later than usual at breakfast pretending to write a reply; when in fact, it was so they were not the first people to come across Lockhart in his current undressed state. After sending off a reply to Hermione's parents, Harry and Hermione made their way to class. When they arrived at the classroom, they found their classmates laughing their heads off.

"What is so funny?" Harry asked.

"See for yourself," One of their classmates said while trying to control their laughter. They found Lockhart asleep but someone had added their own touches. He now sported pink hair and had makeup on. The desk which Lockhart was leaning against had the caption that read. "Sleeping Beauty: a kiss from my one true love will waken me," Harry recognised the hand writing to be one of the twins and the fact that it referred to a muggle fairy tale. This strongly suggested that Colin was here in on it as well. This made both Harry and Hermione to burst in uncontrollable fits of laughter.

A little later, Lisa and the new Healer arrived. Lisa was not amused by what had been done to Professor Lockhart. She was one of Professor Lockhart's biggest fans and to have her idol embarrassed in this manner was almost too much for her to bear. That was why she went straight to the healer for help.

The New Healer, Mr Chapman was a pure-blood Hogwarts Graduate who was nowhere near as skilled as Poppy. He started scanning Professor Lockhart while Harry and his classmates were still laughing their heads off in the background. After several unsuccessful attempts to wake Lockhart, Healer Chapman asked Lisa to get Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.

When Professor McGonagall arrived with Professor Flitwick, one of Harry's classmates, who he could not identify due to his own laughter, said to McGonagall. "Are you going to kiss Professor Lockhart so that he wakes up?"

"Detention for a month with me for disrespect," Professor McGonagall said. Someone whispered quite loudly.

"Professor Lockhart will be jealous,"

"Who said that?" Professor McGonagall asked. No one admitted it. When Professor Flitwick burst out laughing she became too distracted to care about the comment. She finally came across the scene and saw what was causing the disturbance. Seeing Professor McGonagall fuming while Professor Flitwick rolled on the floor in fits of uncontrollable laughter caused the students who had their laughter under control at this point to lose it again. Seeing the Healer perplexed by the problem he faced was too much for them. It looked almost like a Renaissance painting that had gone awry.

Professor McGonagall then ushered all the students back into the hall before releasing Lockhart from his seat. She removed all the designs and captions before giving Lockhart some clothes. Looking with disapproval at the laughing form of Professor Flitwick. Professor McGonagall turned to Healer Chapman and asked.

"What is wrong with him?"

"He has some type of powerful sleeping charm on him. I have tried all the standard approaches to wake him include Finite, Enervate and others. Nothing has worked which is why I called for you and Professor Flitwick,"

"I don't think Professor Flitwick is going to be of much help at the moment. Why don't we call, Professor Snape? He is an expert on Dark Arts so he might be familiar with the charm," Professor McGonagall suggested. Healer Chapman then went outside and asked Lisa to get Professor Snape for him and she rushed away to perform the Healer's request. Lisa returned with Professor Snape a few minutes later. Professor Snape swept into the classroom while Lisa stayed in the hall.

"What seems to be the problem?" Professor Snape said with distaste.

"Someone put Professor Lockhart under with a powerful sleeping charm," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Why call me? Professor Flitwick is the charms expert here,"

"He has a little problem controlling himself," Professor McGonagall said as she pointed to the giggling form of Professor Flitwick.

"You would too if you saw the declaration of his undying love for Professor McGonagall on Lockhart's underwear," Professor Flitwick stated with much difficulty. A smile crept across Snape's face but he usual scowl quickly returned. Professor Snape did a scan of Lockhart and announced.

"It is nothing I have come across,"

He then turned and left the room. After a few more minutes, Professor Flitwick had recovered enough to perform the counter curse to allow Professor Lockhart to awake from his sleep. As soon as Professor Lockhart became aware he saw the other Professors and the Healer. He wondered what was happening then he saw his transfigured robes he became embarrassed since they were a lot plainer than he was used to.

"Professor Lockhart, how are you feeling?" Healer Chapman asked.

"I am fine," Professor Lockhart said uncertainly.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I was preparing for my next class when I fell asleep," Professor Lockhart said since he did not want to admit he had been sleeping in the classroom.

"I think that you should go to the infirmary so that I can do a proper exam," Healer Chapman suggested.

"I think that might be a good idea," Professor Lockhart conceded since he did not want his students to see him in his current state. He did not know that his students saw him in a much worse state less than half an hour ago.

"I will take care of your class," Professor McGonagall said reassuringly to Lockhart. Lockhart, Flitwick and Healer Chapman then left the room right past the students in the hallway who were trying hard not to laugh.

"Everyone inside now," Professor McGonagall said as she came out of the classroom. Once everyone was seated. Professor McGonagall announced.

"Since Professor Lockhart is not feeling that well, he will not be teaching this class today,"

Everyone cheered.

"I will not release you; instead I expect you to read your textbooks for the remainder of the class. Lisa since you showed so much responsibility, you will be in charge of the class," Professor McGonagall said as she left. As soon as Professor McGonagall had gone everyone left even though Lisa tried desperately to keep everyone in the class room.

Harry and Hermione went into a spare classroom. Hermione decided to take the lead this time and calls for Dobby. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Mistress Granger, Miss,"

"How are you doing, Dobby?'

"Good, Mistress Granger, Miss,"

"Please call me, Hermione,"

"Yes, Mistress Hermy, Miss,"

"Just plain, Hermione,"

"Yes, Miss Hermy,"

"That is close enough. How is it going recruiting for the new school?"

"It is going great. However, there are not enough house elves to do all the necessary work Mistress Hermy, Miss," Dobby said in disappointment.

"So how many house elves have been recruited Dobby?"

"Around half of the house elf population is at Hogwarts. Mistress Hermy, Miss," Dobby responded. Hermione realised why Dobby would think he could hire enough house elves because the new school had three times the number of students at Hogwarts.

"Are they enjoying the new village?"

"The house elves are not using the village because it is too far from the school," Dobby complained.

"I see if a location closer to the school can be found," Hermione promised.

"That would be great!" Dobby said excitedly.

"Dobby, do you know of an old, deaf house elf that is finding it hard to work?"

"Maybe," Dobby said uncertainly.

"We are looking for a house elf with that description to spend time with an annoying ghost and to inform us when someone tries to get to the Chamber of Secrets via the second floor girl toilets,"

"I know just the elf. She is getting old and her name is Tippy. Mistress Hermy, Miss,"

"Dobby, do you mind getting Tippy?" Hermione asked. Dobby popped away and returned with Tippy

"Thank You Dobby. Can you please introduce us?"

"Mistress Hermy, Miss, This is Tippy, and she is a good house elf working at the Granger Institute. Tippy, let me introduce to my owners, Master Harry and Mistress Hermy,"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tippy," Hermione said.

"Nice meeting you, miss," Tippy replied. Tippy and Harry nodded at each in acknowledgement.

"Tippy, There is a job which we need your help with. We need someone to watch the entrance to a Basilisk's lair. If we are not around to control it, a lot of people will get hurt. That is why we need you to tell us when someone else tries to access the lair. Be warned, you will need to spend a lot of time with a teenage girl ghost who is lonely and likes to talk. Will you do this job for us?"

"I will have to protect the little ones from the big bad snake!" Tippy said with determination.

"The snake is not bad; it is the ones that try to control it that are bad," Hermione explained.

"It has killed?" Tippy said.

"Yes but someone made it kill by controlling it. Besides, its skin can protect against most spells," Hermione countered.

"Let me think about it," Tippy said.

"Why don't we meet the ghost?" Hermione suggested. Tippy nodded her head and they all went to the second floor girls toilets.

On the way, Hermione asked Tippy. "I thought you have hearing problems,"

"I do, I read people's lips to know what they are saying,"

"I must warn you the ghost can be annoying,"

"It is alright. I use to take care of my old master's children. It will be no problem," Tippy replied as they reached the second floor toilets.

"Are you coming here to throw something at me? Think it is funny to see things pass through me?" Moaning Myrtle ranted.

"No, Myrtle. We thought you might like some company. This is Tippy, she is a house elf. Tippy this is Myrtle the ghost. She can spend some time with you," Myrtle got really excited by the thought of company.

"Why don't we leave you two to get acquainted? Do you mind if we change part of your toilet into accommodation for Tippy?" Hermione asked.

"Go right ahead," Moaning Myrtle replied.

"Dobby can you set up a living quarters for Tippy here in this cubicle?"

"Yes, Mistress Hermy, Miss," Dobby replied as he popped away to fill the request. Once the living quarters was set up. Harry put a notice me not ward over the quarters using the Elder Wand so that only Hermione, Myrtle, Dobby, Tippy and he would be aware it was there.

"How are you getting along?"

"Great," Moaning Myrtle said enthusiastically. Tippy just nodded her head.

"By the Myrtle, do you know who started that game of throwing things through you? We want to punish them on your behalf," Hermione said.

"I don't know. I was at my usual U-bend when an object went through me. I checked it out," Myrtle explained.

"Do you know what the object look like and what happened to it?" Hermione asked.

"It was a burgundy book and I believe Filch took it away, when he discovered the wet floor,"

"Thank you, Myrtle," Hermione said as she, Harry and Dobby left.

"Dobby, I want you to come back three times a day to ensure that Tippy is adequately rested and fed," Hermione told Dobby.

"Yes, Mistress Hermy, Miss," Dobby replied.

"That will be all. Thank you, Dobby," Hermione said. Dobby then popped away.

"I think we need to break into Filch's Office sometime in the near future," Hermione said.

"It should not be too hard; the twins were able to do it in their first year," Harry said.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Later that night, after everyone was asleep, Harry & Hermione went into their respective apartment trunks. They used their time turners, then they headed off to Hermione's old home to meet Dan and Emma.

When they arrived, they were somewhat surprised that half of the expanded house was now a library. They were both well aware of the plans to convert this place into a library; they were surprised by the amount was work already done. Harry and Hermione made their way to the old living room where the meeting was going to be held. Upon opening the door, they were surprised to see Grant, Miles and Sirius waiting for them with Hermione's parents.

After the usual greetings, Harry turned to Emma and asked, "What is this meeting about? We have two hours at most before someone notices that we are not in our beds."

"I will let Grant explain it since he is the one who called this meeting," Emma replied.

"Grant, do you mind getting started? It is getting late and we have class tomorrow," a tired Harry suggested.

"As most of you are aware , we have started recruiting from Central and South America. Well, a few weeks ago, we hired a guy who was trying to escape a drug cartel.

"He was a muggleborn wizard with very little skill or education like most of the people we have been hiring. He said he was on the run because he saw them use magic to transport large shipments of drugs. Based on the descriptions he gave us, we were able to determine that the drugs were being transported via portkey. Using the contacts that we have been developing through our new ventures and the Outcast Movement, we were able to discover the time and place of another delivery.

"This gave us an opportunity to verify the transportation methodology and track the delivery to a general area. Due to the distance travelled by the portkey, we were able to determine the delivery was sent to somewhere in Europe but that is all we got. We originally started this search to try to eliminate a threat to our organisation and, hopefully, lead a country in Central America to our way of thinking. However, the discovery of deliveries to Europe gave this operation a greater international significance.

"Since Europe was Sirius' domain, we contacted him. We had hoped that he could determine the destination. Sirius had a plan and sent Rita in her other form to tag along with the next shipment in order to locate where in Europe the deliveries were being sent.

"Do you want to continue the story?" Grant asked Sirius.

"Okay, so Rita had no problems following the drugs. She was shocked to see two prominent European politicians who have supported Voldemort's agenda on the receiving end of the drugs. Once they received the drugs, the Europeans sent large barrels of Galleons and boxes filled with muggle currency to Mexico. Rita followed the money to a Mexican Dark Lord that has been growing in strength. She made it back with the information last night," Sirius explained with an unusually serious manner.

"We were planning to launch raids on both sites seizing the money, killing the people, and destroying the drugs. Because we were planning to use the company's security forces, we contacted Dan and Emma for authorisation for the operation. When we asked them, they wanted us to run it by you two first," Grant stated.

"Let's work out what steps we should take before we launch such a major operation," Harry suggested. "What country is receiving the drugs?"

"The drugs get delivered to Italy first; they are broken down and then are distributed throughout Europe," Sirius replied.

"What is the chance that the Italian ministry of magic will assist us?" Harry asked.

"Practically none, the two purebloods in charge of the operation are very powerful politically. If we attempt to get their ministry involved, they will immediately find out," Sirius explained.

"We can use this opportunity to further our long term goals. Why don't you try to discover the distribution network in Europe and the UK? We can pass this information on to the Muggle authorities via Dan, Emma, or Sirius. This will build their credibility with these authorities, which would be useful for us later," Harry suggested.

"That sounds like a good plan," Sirius replied with support from Grant and Miles.

"We are meeting some very highly placed members of the UK police force when we attend all those charity events. It shouldn't be too hard to pass the information to them directly," Dan stated.

"Remember, start with the lowest level drug dealers first and work your way up. That way it will not spook the purebloods," Hermione added. This caused a twinkle in Sirius' eye that Hermione noticed.

"What are you thinking about, Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"I was just thinking that you should add Dudley's name to the list of drug dealers," Sirius said.

"What ever happened to the Dursleys?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Dudley and his gang were convicted of multiple counts of assault, theft, and a boatload of charges that I cannot remember. His gang is now in the juvenile correctional facilities while Dudley was given community service after Dumbledore intervened.

The Dursleys were not satisfied with this outcome, so they are appealing the decision even though they are running out of money."

"What happened to the others?" Emma asked since she was upset at the treatment Harry got from his relatives.

"The company Vernon worked for found out about his discriminatory behaviour as well as his workplace harassment of other employees. He was sacked and the company settled with all the current and past employees that were bringing legal action against the company, but not Vernon.

My private investigator, who was following all this for me, has told me that the company is assisting the current and former employees. They are trying to put together a class action against Vernon. The Dursleys are not going to know what hit them once the legal action starts. It will probably bankrupt them and will ensure Vernon will be forever unemployable. Petunia will probably have to work for the first time after being a housewife for over 10 years. That should be fun to watch. Her lack of any marketable skills should put a further crimp in their lifestyle. If you can get Dudley convicted of the drug dealing charge, he will be sentenced to an adult prison rather than the juvenile facilities due to the seriousness of the charges."

"Can you find out when the cases hits the court? I want to be there to see justice being served," Hermione asked.

"I will see what I can do," Sirius said.

"Getting back on topic... Hermione, would it be possible to create a portkey redirection ward like the mail redirection ward that was found on me?" Harry asked.

"I think so," Hermione replied after some thought.

"Then I suggest that we place portkey redirection wards around receiving areas for the drugs and money. That way, we can swap the drugs and money for fakes. This can cause a rift between the two parties, and if we handle it correctly, this can do some of our work for us. The real drugs can be given to the authorities to substantiate our claims, and the money can fund our equality movement. We could also use some of it to pay for our security forces," Harry suggested.

"I like it," Sirius said as he imagined swapping Leprechaun gold for real gold, transfiguring newspaper into muggle currency and baby powder for the drugs.

Miles also liked it since it would mean more funding for his organisation.

Grant was on board as well since in all probability, the company will get to invest the money before it was used.

"I think a significant portion of the money should be used for scholarships, especially for Squibs." Emma suggested.

"I can go with that," Miles said in support of the request.

"So are going to leave them operating?" Hermione said in disgust.

"That's not what we said… The swaps and the reporting are steps we can take now so that we have the time to properly plan the raids. I also think that we should get the muggle authorities involved, especially the group from the US.

Miles, do you think you can convince the US Magical Ministry to assist us in organising a joint operation with the muggle law enforcement to take down these criminals?"

"Getting the US non-magical authorities involved will not be a problem; in all likelihood, the Mexican Dark Lord will have operations in the US as well as in Europe. The biggest problem will be the Statute of Secrecy. I think the Muggle authorities might be willing to have their memory of the raids removed since it will allow them to put a stop to a major drug operation," Miles replied.

"To sweeten the deal, offer to allow them to borrow Basilisk armour for the duration of the raids," Harry suggested.

"Why would they opt for Basilisk Armour over bulletproof vests?" Miles asked.

"Basilisk Armour is better than bulletproof vests for three good reasons: it can stop curses as well bullets, when you get hit by bullets in Basilisk armour you don't feel it due to the cushion spells on the lining, and it is lighter, cooler, and more compact than bulletproof vests," Harry replied.

"Can I have a suit to demonstrate its qualities?" Miles asked.

"Sure, Grant can hook you up," Harry said.

"If we are going to deal with the non-magical authorities then it would be better if either Mrs. or Mr. Granger became active in the American political arena," Miles suggested.

"We were planning to move next year anyway. Maybe we should move up our schedule?" Emma suggested.

"I guess we can share a full-time role at the surgery. We can take turns looking for a new practice and home in the states," Dan added.

"Remember, look for a place where we can either build or convert into a large library nearby," Hermione said absentmindedly.

"If you are buying a home in the States, you should consider buying a large one because it would be invaluable as a political tool in both the magical and non-magical world," Miles suggested.

"I guess we can start donating to US-based causes as well," Emma said as the alarm on Miles' watch went off.

"I have another appointment. Is it alright if I leave now?" Miles asked since he did not want to upset the Outcast Organisation's biggest contributors.

Everyone looked at each other before Grant took the initiative and said, "It should be fine."

"When you are dealing with the different authorities, remember to warn them that the Italian Magical Ministry is not to be trusted," Harry added before Miles left.

"I should leave as well. I don't want to let Lucius and the pureblood supremacists know I am in the country," Sirius said.

"You should look into other purebloods who support Voldemort's agenda getting involved in the drug trade as well," Harry suggested.

"I think I will. In fact, since pureblood supremacists have no regard for the lives of Muggles, I think I will investigate any activity which will generate a lot of money and hurt non-magical people," Sirius replied as he got up.

"That is a good idea; see you next time in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said as Sirius made his exit waving as he left.

"Do you mind if we discuss a major investment opportunity?" Grant quickly said as he could tell that the meeting was about to break.

"That is your area of expertise, and we have given you the freedom to invest in you believe aligns with our goals."

"Well, this is a major diversion from your requested path, and it requires us to increase the amount we are accepting as deposits."

"You spent all the money we raised already?" Emma asked incredibly.

"I have invested all of it. Most of it was invested in shares, which I prefer not sell even though we have made the required return. We are in final stages of negotiations to buy a multinational gold mining company. We recently acquired a solar power cell manufacturing company which we are planning to expand and overhaul. In terms of magical businesses, we have acquired a firewhiskey company, butterbeer company, a broomstick manufacturing company, a Floo powder production company among others," Grant replied.

"What about income we are receiving from existing operations?" Dan asked.

"It is being used to set up the solar business, fund the Granger Institute and to relocate the businesses we acquire to Colorado," Grant explained.

"So what is this business you want to invest in?" Dan asked.

"I thought that portkeying was a great way of transporting things, especially really big items. I thought that we could buy a big multinational logistics company and use portkeying to reduce transportation costs. This is my big idea," Grant said as he handed out folders outlining his proposal.

"As you see, we can more than reduce the transportation costs to a third of their current costs by buying obsolete drilling platforms and moving them. We would place them into international waters where Ley lines intersect. Warding these platforms against erosion, the elements and non-magicals would ensure the longevity of the platforms. Having the platforms sitting on Ley lines will make portkeying a lot easier.

We will have giants move the cargo from the ship to the platform and vice versa. This means that the Giants will not be available to the purebloods if they try to start a war. We could hire nearly every giant since we could use them amongst our various operations. Plus, we could provide employment for a lot non-magicals that are aware of the magical world like Squibs," Grant explained.

Hermione was quiet satisfied that they overcame the problem with the non-magicals finding out by using the platforms rather than just portkeying directly from land. Some things would still be sent by air. Dan and Emma were happy that this new methodology would reduce the consumption of oil, making it less reliant on Earth's non-renewable resources. It would also help shrink their carbon footprint which Hermione said was a hot topic in the future. Harry liked the fact that it gave employment to so many different people and races.

"So how much extra money do we need?" Dan asked.

"I would say around 200 million dollars to be safe. I think that we need to lift the deposit by 15 thousand dollars," Grant explained.

"Are you sure you need to do that? Remember that we have been buying a lot of new companies[,] and that means a lot new people with unutilised deposit allowance. They may not be aware that it is available to them. Try advertising the availability of this service to new employees before we try lifting the deposit limit," Emma suggested.

"We should to try offering this service to the staff at our dental surgery since I feel bad that they are missing out on this great opportunity," Dan added.

"I will get started working on your suggestions," Grant said, not happy that his request was rejected.

"Can you provide us with information about the deposit service, which we can give to our dental staff?" Emma asked.

"Okay. Hermione, can you provide the information on the portkey redirection ward?" Grant replied.

"I will get back to you on the ward sometime next week," Hermione replied.

"That is fine," Grant said before he bid farewell to them.

Once he was gone, Harry turned to Hermione and asked,

"Are you alright? You were awfully quiet during the meeting[,] and that was highly unusual for you."

"I am tired and suffering from period pain," Hermione replied. This shut up Harry immediately[,] while Dan pretended he did not hear what his daughter said.

"Do you need Naprogesic? I have some in my handbag."

"No, I forgot to take the period potion last night. It eliminates the symptoms completely. No more mood swings, pain, cramps or tiredness that I usually experience," Hermione replied.

"I wonder if it works on non-magicals..." Emma said as soon as she heard no more period pain.

"You can always ask Ashley for a sample to test," Hermione suggested.

"I will definitely will," Emma replied.

Dan deciding that he did not want to listen to his wife and his daughter talk about their female problems said,

"Why don't we call it a night?" Emma and Hermione agreed, much to the relief of Harry and Dan. Harry rushed out while Dan hugged Hermione and Emma before following suit. Emma and Hermione burst out laughing as soon as they were gone.

"They are so easy to scare away," Hermione said to Emma as she to hugged her mother before going back to Hogwarts.


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

A/N This chapter will refer to things that I forgot to include in earlier chapters.

On Thursday night, Hermione turned to Padma and asked, "What is up with Malfoy? He looks like he is sucking a sour lemon,"

"He is disappointed that the school is focused on Lockhart's misadventures rather than Ginny's recent escapades. Malfoy has been telling everyone in Slytherin that Ginny Weasley should have gone to Azkaban for breaking into the Three Broomsticks and stealing Firewhiskey," Padma explained.

"I heard that Malfoy was practically celebrating when Ginny received the howler from Mrs Weasley saying how disappointed she was with Ginny and her brothers. The look of horror on Ginny and her brothers' faces was like the icing on the cake for Malfoy and his like-minded Slytherins. When did he change his tune?" Mandy interjected.

"I believe that they were enjoying watching Ginny squirm under the attention of the school. But when the school's focus shifted to Lockhart's misadventure and the accompanying investigation, their entertainment ended as Ginny was embarrassed a lot less as people were not watching her all the time," Padma explained.

As the week progressed, Malfoy's disappointed look grew. There was an inverse relationship between Malfoy's look of dissatisfaction and the amount of squirming Ginny was doing. Lockhart was enjoying the attention, and he didn't care that it was from an embarrassing situation. Draco decided to take some action in order to focus the attention on Weasley family again. On Saturday night when Ginny arrived in the Great Hall with Ron as her scheduled family escort, Malfoy walked over and said, "Protecting your family's one remaining asset, Weasel?"

"Get lost Malfoy!" Ron said threateningly.

"Scared that I will take your sister's virtue and reduce her bride price? As if I would lower myself to touch such filth…" Malfoy said with distaste. Ron launched himself at Malfoy and started swinging. Harry and Hermione watched the brawl with interest. When everyone's attention was focused on the two fighters, Hermione hit the pair of them with a pain numbing charm before hitting them with another spell. The second spell gave them the equivalent of a brittle bone disease for a few minutes.

As the fight continued, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall finally noticed. They rushed over to stop the fight with Professor Lockhart following close behind. Professor McGonagall asked as soon as the boys were separated, "What happened here?"

"Ron hit me for no reason," Malfoy said as innocently as possible.

"You liar, calling my sister filth and then saying that we would sell our sister seems to be a reason!" Ron countered.

"So you admit that you started the fight?" Professor Snape said triumphantly.

"That is not what he said and you know it, Severus," Professor McGonagall said before turning to Ron. "You should not have started the fight just because of Mr Malfoy's name calling. If you are upset about something, you should tell a Professor so that they may take appropriate action. Therefore, you have now earned one month's detention with me. Now, off you go to the infirmary,"

"What about Malfoy? He started it," Ron complained.

"That is none of your concern Mr Weasley," Professor McGonagall said.

"But Professor McGonagall…," Ron started to whine when Professor McGonagall stopped him.

"No Buts; off you go,"

"Maybe I can help," Professor Lockhart offered as he spotted the broken noses.

"There is no need," Professor McGonagall said quickly since she did not trust Professor Lockhart.

"Why don't I fix those broken noses? It is very easy," Professor Lockhart said as he began moving his wand. Harry acted as soon as he saw what Lockhart was trying to do. He discreetly fired a bone vanishing curse at Malfoy and Ron when Lockhart tried to fix Ron's broken nose. Both Ron and Draco's noses immediately flattened as the bones in their noses vanished. Everyone laughed at sight of the two boys with nothing but a flap of skin where their nose used to be.

"What have you done?" Malfoy accused Lockhart when everyone started laughing at him and Ron. This made everyone laugh even more as his nose started to rise and fall as Malfoy spoke. It looked like the nose of an elephant seal, and his voice was also strange because he was not getting as much air from his nose as he normally would.

"Your nose is no longer broken," Professor Lockhart said triumphantly as he quickly made his exit.

"Let us get them to the infirmary now," Professor McGonagall said as soon as Professor Lockhart was gone. After they left the Great Hall, two massive screams can be heard from the hallway.

"I guess the pain suppression spell wore off," Hermione said with a creepy smile.

"Remind me never to piss you off; you are scary when you are angry," Harry said half seriously.

"I think we need to do something about Lockhart, he looks as lucid as ever. This means he is still avoiding his quarters, and we need to keep him in his quarters for prolonged periods," Hermione said.

"Is there any spell that might make him sleep in the bed in his quarters?" Harry asked.

"Off the top of my head, I don't know of anything…" Hermione replied.

"How about only use the toilet in his quarters?"

"Hmmm, there is a spell that is used for toilet training pets that might help with that," Hermione replied after some thought.

"Maybe you can use that spell for now while you try to adjust the spell so that Lockhart has to sleep in his own bed," Harry suggested.

"I will get him at our next DADA class," Hermione offered.

"I will look forward to it," Harry stated as he tossed up whether it was better to hit Lockhart with a diarrhoea hex or constipation charm. Then inspiration hit, and Harry decided he was going to start looking for a spell that would shrink Lockhart's bladder so that he would constantly running to his quarters to use the toilet.

At lunch time the next day, something funny happened. Percy was heard screaming after Penny. "Why won't you go out with me?"

"I don't like you and I am not interested in you. Now get lost!" Penny replied as she walked away.

"Has Percy been chasing Penny for long?" Hermione asked Mandy and the girls.

"Yes. All week in fact and Penny has been knocking him back. She was interested in him before his family name began to stink. Penny is a very ambitious girl which was why she was interested in him in the first place. It was a good match since he was ambitious, he followed the rules, and a prefect on his way to a ministry position. But in light of recent events, that the position at the ministry is just a pipe dream for Percy.

Things has gotten so bad, he started helping his brothers do the paperwork for their business since he has resigned himself to the fact that it will probably be the only work he would be able to find once he leaves Hogwarts. His family's well-known association with Dumbledore would ensure he would have trouble finding any other work in the magical community," Mandy said. Hermione could not help smiling at how bad things had become for Percy.

"Their father was also demoted for the flying car incident," Lisa reported. It was no surprise that Hermione and Harry both felt no sympathy for Arthur Weasley or the rest of the family except for the twins.

"Speaking of the Weasleys, have you seen the youngest male Weasley or his nemesis, Malfoy?" Harry asked as he looked around.

"Sorry, I have not seen them," Lisa replied. Mandy however looked happy.

"I know why you have not seen them today," Mandy said smugly.

"Do tell," Hermione said.

"I heard from a student who was in the infirmary when they were brought in. Both of them broke quite a few bones in the fight. They are going to be stuck in the infirmary for a week taking regular doses of Skelegrow. They cannot take too much pain killing potion because it is addictive so both of them are being kept asleep as much as possible. Can you image what it would be like in the infirmary if they were awake?" Mandy said. Hermione immediately imagined Ron and Draco arguing all the time but screaming when their pain potions wore off. She was tempted to turn that image into reality but she decided against it.

"A week without the dumb Weasley and 'I will tell my father' Malfoy. We might actually learn something this week without them interrupting classes all the time," Lisa said happily.

"As if any of us learn anything in class anyway. We learn more from the special homework the Professors started giving us when they realised we were way more advanced than the other students," Padma said.

"It is the mind arts that give us the edge," Su suggested.

"Does any other school teach it?" Padma asked.

"Most of the magical world follows Hogwarts and stopped teaching it," Hermione stated.

"Why would everyone follow Hogwarts?" Padma asked.

"Hogwarts is the oldest school in the magical world with the biggest library. More discoveries were made here than anywhere else in the world, and that is why it is considered the premium educational facility in Europe and the rest of the world," Mandy said condescendingly.

"If rumours are true, that will not be the case for much longer. I heard that a school in the US has made heaps of new discoveries. The school has a library that is still growing, and they recently introduced mind arts with fantastic results," Hermione said.

"I heard about the school from Professor Sprout. She was very excited by the discoveries they were making. For some reason she did not say what the school was called," Isobel added.

"Probably does not want us to leave Hogwarts to attend the new school...," Padma said.

"I believe that Poppy, the healer, who used to work here, is now at the new school," Hermione said. Mandy and Padma's ears both pricked up upon hearing this.

"Are you sure?" Mandy asked.

"No," Hermione replied even though she was positive. She did not confirm it since she wanted Mandy and Padma to investigate it themselves. They did exactly what Hermione expected as they made some lame excuse before leaving followed not long later by everyone else.

At breakfast just before their DADA class, Padma asked Su Li, "Have you done your DADA homework yet?"

"I have done it, but I don't understand why we have to explain the strategic advantages of his approach towards confrontations with the werewolves. Anyone with half a brain knows that he only defeated that werewolf with blind luck," Su replied.

"At least all you have to do is waste time on the homework that he gives out. Hermione and I always get roped into helping him recreate the various fights he wishes to talk about in class," Harry complained.

"I see the strain on your face from stopping yourself from hexing the Professor senseless every time he makes you do that," Padma said with sympathy.

"At least he is not following you around like the beginning of term...," Su pointed out.

"The first few days were horrid! Professor Lockhart was following us around like a lost puppy, only not cute in any way," Hermione said with a cringe.

"I like how you made him back off. How did you find out that Lockhart had sent some photos of himself with the two of you talking to the Daily Prophet?" Padma asked.

"A girl's got to have her secrets," Hermione replied. She was sure that Harry knew her secret since he was there when Colin informed them that Lockhart had asked for some copies of the photos he had taken. It was not much of a stretch to work out what he was planning to do with the photos.

"I loved the look on his face at breakfast when the Daily Prophet arrived. I bet you he was expecting a flattering article about him teaching two Merlin Order award recipients. Instead there was an article saying how they received a letter from the two of you claiming he was basically stalking you. The article portrayed him as a paedophile, and the most brilliant part of it was that the article used the photos that Lockhart sent in himself which made it impossible for him to punish you,"

"I forgot about that," Harry admitted as he happily recalled the incident.

"That is because everyone's attention was focused on the two youngest Weasleys around that time,"

"What are you guys talking about?" Mandy said as she joined the conservation.

"Professor Lockhart and DADA homework," Hermione replied.

"There was homework for DADA?" Mandy said incredulously.

While Padma informed Mandy of the homework, Hermione turned to Harry and whispered,

"I think Mandy must have breached the wards around Luna's possessions. She seems a lot more forgetful this year compared to last year,"

"I think you are right; we can confront her after breakfast," Harry suggested before returning his attention to the overall conversation.

"Professor Lockhart is trying to impress Harry and Hermione. Why do you think he uses them in his class demonstrations and tries to justify his actions in the homework he assigns?" Mandy explained.

"As if that would happen…," Hermione said. "We made our opinion of him quite clear in our letter to the Daily Prophet,"

"I believe he is hoping to change your minds," Mandy suggested.

"That is unlikely to happen," Harry stated. "Why would he want to anyway?"

"You are the Boy-Who-Lived; popular does not begin to describe your following. Fanatical would be best way to describe most of your followers. Plus, you two have political connections that Lockhart can only dream of. The fact that you received the Order of Merlin Award proves your clout and it is well known that the awarding of that honour is extremely political," Mandy explained.

"How did Peter Pettigrew get the award then?" Hermione asked.

"Did you not read the article by Rita Skeeter where she suggested that Dumbledore pushed for Peter to get the Order of Merlin award? He thought it would help to further suggest that Sirius was guilty of betraying the Potters," Padma explained. The rest of the conversation was focused on bagging on Professor Dumbledore. Some of the accusations were justified, like the hiring of the incompetent Professors like Lockhart and Snape. Some were not justified, for example the Chudley Cannons' losing streak. At the end of breakfast, Harry and Hermione approached Mandy.

"Have you been bullying Luna Lovegood?" Hermione asked.

"No, I have not been bullying Luna," Mandy replied with a guilty look on her face.

"We know you did something to her; stop trying to stall and just tell us," Harry demanded. Hermione backed up Harry's request by moving closer to him. Mandy knew that Harry might do something rash if she refused but Hermione planned out a well-thought strategy that would force her to reveal everything she knew. Together they knew there was no way she will be able to stay quiet for long.

"Cho and Marietta asked me to borrow a few things from Luna. They would have done it themselves, but Professor Flitwick banned them from any dormitory below their own," Mandy admitted.

"Did you ask Luna if they could borrow her stuff?" Hermione pointedly asked. Mandy shook her head. "That makes you a thief and is a form of bullying. You remember our agreement when you joined my study group?" Mandy nodded her head.

"If you make a list of things you stole, promise not to do it again, and confess to Professor Flitwick, I won't kick you out of my study group. I will also choose not to enact the consequences of breaking our agreement,"

Mandy reluctantly agreed as she knew how bad it could get if you pissed off Hermione. She immediately started writing down the list of things she stole.

"We will see you later in class with that list," Hermione said as she and Harry left. As soon they were alone, Harry turned to Hermione and asked,

"Why didn't the contract activate?"

"The only possible explanation is the fact she truly believes that what she did was not bullying Luna in any way," Hermione replied.

"We need to work out some sort of prank to punish Marietta and Cho," Harry suggested.

"I agree. What they are doing to Luna is not right, and they are not learning their lesson even after Professor Flitwick punished them,"

"I suspect that Dumb-n-Dork stepped in and stopped Professor Flitwick from carrying out the full punishment he assigned," Harry speculated.

"Let's get to DADA class so that we can get Lockhart," Hermione suggested.

"Have you worked out how to force him to sleep in his own bed?" Harry asked.

"Not yet," Hermione said with disappointment. "So for today I plan to get him use the toilet in his quarters exclusively. I have already performed the spell on the toilet; all I need to do is hit him with the second part of the spell for it to be effective."

"Tell me when you hit him with the second part of the spell so that I can test its effectiveness."

"Did you find the spell that shrinks his bladder and intestines?"

"Yes, I found out that it forces them to eat and drink a lot more often."

"Why don't you hit him with that spell while I get him with the diarrhoea hex?" Hermione suggested since she wanted to make him run to the toilet.

"Only if I can curse him first after you work out the sleeping spell," Harry countered.

"Agreed," Hermione said quickly.

Mandy arrived shortly before class began, and she handed Harry her completed list. He copied the list before handing it back to her. Hermione then gave her some books she would need to complete her homework which Mandy planned to do during class. Mandy headed to the back of the classroom when Professor Lockhart arrived.

It was not long before Lockhart made Harry and Hermione re-enact a scene from one of his books. This time Harry was the Vampire while Hermione played the role of Lockhart. During the display, Hermione saw an opportunity to hit Lockhart with the spell while the class and Lockhart's attention were focused on Harry. As soon as she successfully hit Lockhart, Hermione used her head to signal Harry that she had completed her first spell. Harry fired his hex at Lockhart during the same display when the attention was focused on Hermione. When Harry, Hermione and Professor Lockhart were taking a bow at the conclusion of the display, Hermione fired the diarrhoea curse at Lockhart. This resulted in Lockhart passing wind as he was taking his bow. The class all burst out laughing, thinking it was a part of the act.

Professor Lockhart was extremely embarrassed by the fart until the stomach pains from Diarrhoea curse hit. He ran out of the class room without any warning leaving most of the class confused. After ten minutes of waiting for him to come back, Lisa got concerned and left to find another professor to report what happened to Lockhart. Just before the end of the class, she returned with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Lockhart is feeling under the weather. I know you all wish him well but the best thing you could do for him is stay in your seats and read your textbooks until your next class," Professor McGonagall announced before leaving. Everyone swamped on Lisa and asked.

"What happened to Professor Lockhart?"

"He is feeling under the weather and is currently staying in the School's infirmary," Lisa replied.

"What is Professor Lockhart hiding?" A student asked.

"Maybe Professor Lockhart is actually a girl," Another student suggested.

"That would explain so much… I heard he spends hours every morning on his appearance," Mandy added.

"But that would not explain Professor Lockhart suddenly needed to leave," Terry stated.

"I would if Professor Lockhart was pregnant and was experiencing morning sickness," Padma suggested.

"That would make sense," Terry replied.

"Who would the father be?"

"Hagrid is too big and would crush Lockhart," Michael suggested.

"Lockhart and Kettleburn hate each other. So he is out," Su added. Harry and Hermione were enjoying the speculation so they decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Dumbledore is gay. So maybe he would like someone who acts like a guy most of the time," Harry suggested. Most of the students in the class agreed it could be plausible.

"Maybe Professor Lockhart might have decided to seduce Professor Snape so that she could find out the secret of the bellowing robes," Hermione proposed. This time, even more people agree it was possible especially since Lockhart had make up on that time they found him in his underwear. Lisa had enough.

"Professor Lockhart is not a girl! He is a man who is suffering from an upset stomach!" Lisa said loudly.

"Hermione's explanation is better," Michael stated. Lisa got really angry at this statement and stormed out of class. Not long after the bell rang, and they left for their next class.

A/N the lack of breasts could be explained away by magic.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank my betas for their great work. Especially amsev who has started betaing my earlier chapters.


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Harry decided to skip one of Hermione's tutorials so that he could plan a birthday party for her. In order to achieve this without raising Hermione's suspicion, Harry got some of the girls in the tutorial to run interfere for him. He found an empty classroom and called for Dobby.

"Yes, Master Harry, Sir," Dobby said as he popped in.

"Dobby, can you ask Hermione's parents if they want to hold a birthday party for her?" Harry requested. Dobby popped away and returned a few moments later.

"Mistress Hermy's parents say that Hermy told them not to hold a party for her as you and her are under heavy scrutiny at school at the moment. They plan to send her a birthday present on the day," Dobby informed Harry.

"Thank you Dobby," Harry said

"I guess I will hold a birthday for her here at the school. The teachers would not mind even Dumbledore will have nothing to complain about as long as we don't serve firewhiskey," Harry continued, mostly to himself.

"Dobby could you get me a number of things for Hermione's birthday party?" Harry said as he began to list the things he required such as a Black Forest Birthday Cake and Butterbeer for Hermione.

"Please make sure you get all these things by this Saturday since that is Hermione's birthday," Harry said after he completed the list.

"Don't need to worry, Master Harry, Sir. I will have everything ready by that day," Dobby replied.

"Thank you, Dobby. How is the surveillance on Lockhart going?" Harry asked. Dobby pulled out a log book with quite a few photos.

"Professor Lockhart was stuck in the infirmary for a day with stomach pains and constipation. Healer Chapman could not identify what was wrong so he was sent back to his quarters where he was on the toilet for another day clearing out the build-up," Dobby read from the log as he showed Harry photos of Lockhart in pain with massive bags under his eyes from lack of sleep caused by the pain. The next lot of photos was of Lockhart in his quarters' bathroom. He was stuck on the toilet while being scared witless by the dark creatures that resided there.

"Did you get the photos of Lockhart in his underwear with make up on?" Harry asked.

"We did even though it was really difficult as Mister Creevey kept taking photos as well, Master Harry, Sir," Dobby replied while handing over the various photos. Harry burst out laughing at both the photos and the image in his mind of a house elf getting angry at Colin Creevey.

"I am going to keep these photos," Harry said after regaining his breath.

"We have lots of copies," Dobby said guilty.

"Glad we were able to entertain everyone," Harry said happily.

"Master Harry, Sir," Dobby said hesitatingly.

"Yes, Dobby?" Harry replied.

"I think you should see Tippy and Myrtle," Dobby said with a bit more confidence.

"Why should I see them?" Harry asked.

"Myrtle has been spying on Dumbledore for us," Dobby said.

"I will get Hermione after her tutorial and see the two of them then. Thank you Dobby," Harry said excitedly at the prospect of getting info from a spy on Dumbledore.

Harry waited outside the classroom where the tutorial was being held with his cloak of invisibility. After everyone left, Harry went into the classroom with Hermione still packing. Hermione suspected that Harry's absence was due to him planning her surprise Birthday party[add: and] decided to pretend she did not notice.

"I just spoke to Dobby, and he tells me that we need to visit Tippy and Moaning Myrtle," Harry said.

"Do you know why?" Hermione asked with interest.

"Dobby thinks that Moaning Myrtle might be willing to be our spy on Dumb-n-Dork,"

"That sounds great. Let's go and find out for sure. Should we?" Hermione said as she offered her arm to Harry.

"It is usually the guy that does that," Harry says.

"We live in the 90s. Girls can do what they want, and I want to lead this time," Hermione replied.

"Okay," Harry said as they made their way to the second floor toilets. When they arrived they found Tippy knitting while Moaning Myrtle was talking to her.

"How are you two getting along?" Harry asked.

"We are getting along like a house on fire," Moaning Myrtle said excitedly.

"It is nice having some place to sit while doing something worthwhile," Tippy replied.

"Remember, if the sink moves, leave here immediately and inform us. Don't wait around or try to find out what is behind the sink. That includes you, Myrtle; we don't know what it would do to you," Harry warned.

"We know. I could not believe that the Professors knew about the entrance but decided to do nothing about it until Tippy explained it to me," Myrtle said.

"How did Tippy convince you?" Harry asked with interest.

"She explained that if two students can work out the location of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, then Professors that have been here for years should have no excuse. Especially for Dumb-n-Dork who wears a special pair of glasses that can look through enchantments and spells.

When she explained this to me, I got really mad at the Professors especially Dumb-n-Dork. Tippy then suggested that I get Dumb-n-Dork back by spying on him for you guys. The opportunity to help take him down was too good to miss," Myrtle said excitedly.

"So have you found out anything interesting?" Harry asked.

"He has lost his time-turner when he lost his other possessions. Most of his time is spent trying to obtain a new one. So he spends most of the day on his knees talking to various people on the Floo network without success," Myrtle reported.

"Do you know if he has any plans for either Hermione or me?" Harry asked.

"I have not seen him plan anything. The only thing I have seen so far is him talking to various people about a flying car incident, training Ron and Neville, investigating some sort of prank that severely embarrassed Professor Lockhart, and the time turner business I already told you about," Myrtle replied.

"Have they made any progress on identifying the culprits of the prank on Professor Lockhart?" Harry asked.

"They believe that the Weasley twins were responsible for some sort of caption. But the rest of the prank was beyond anything they are capable of them, and the Professors are getting nowhere. I wish I could have seen the prank. It sounded very funny," Myrtle said sadly.

"I have some pictures that you might enjoy," Harry said as he created copies of the Lockhart prank photos before passing them to Tippy so that she could share them with Myrtle. Myrtle started laughing as soon as she saw the first photo.

"I'll let you go through the photos. Good-bye," Harry said as he and Hermione left.

"Where did you get the photos?" Hermione asked.

"Some student who got it off Colin," Harry lied.

"When did you get the photos?" Hermione asked.

"During the group study session I missed," Harry admitted.

"I know it was to plan my birthday party but I was thinking we can use it to our advantage," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?"

"Since this Saturday is my birthday. If we hold my birthday party directly after breakfast it will give us the perfect alibi for our raid of Filch's office and quarters," Hermione suggested. They spent the rest of the time planning for Saturday.

Early on Saturday morning, Hermione stunned Cho and Marietta while they were still sleeping. She then cast the sleeping spell over them so they would stay asleep before putting a notice me not spell over both of their entire beds. Hermione plucked a few hairs from each of them, borrowed the set of robes they wore the previous day, and took their wands. Hermione put the various items into plastic bags that she placed in her book bag. When she went down for breakfast that morning, she gave Marietta's stuff to Harry.

Nothing happened at breakfast even though the pair thought that time slowed. At the end of breakfast, Professor Flitwick led Harry and Hermione to the party that Harry had set up. The professors not aligned with Dumbledore also attended the party. Hermione got a lot of books as presents. Some of the books were so rare that Hermione had never seen them before. At the end of the party, the Weasley twins, at the suggestion of Harry, started a food fight. Professor Flitwick joined the food fight but not the other professors. When the fighting ceased, everyone helped clean the classroom before going to lunch. Quite a few people went back to their dorms to take a shower first to remove the remnants of the food fight including both Harry and Hermione. Since the showers were being used by their friends, Harry and Hermione used the showers in their trunks.

After their showers, rather than going to lunch, they used the time turners to go back in time. Harry reluctantly took the polyjuice potion to turn into Marietta while Hermione turned into Cho. The physique of the body he was in was a major distraction to Harry as he made his way to Filch's office and quarters. Hermione had to hold in her laughter when she first saw Harry try to walk in Marietta's body. Awkward would be an extreme understatement.

When they arrived at Filch's quarters, Harry stunned Mrs Norris using Marietta's wand while Hermione stunned Filch using Cho's. Harry started searching for the diary while Hermione created the misdirection and distraction. The search was unsuccessful so Harry helped Hermione who was transfiguring Filch's clothing into a pink ballerina costume. He starting changing all of Filch's clothing he could find into female lingerie. Hermione transfigured Mrs Norris' fur into a matching ballerina costume. They then changed the designs on anything that could be used as cover such as blankets and curtains into pink My Little Pony images. As a final touch, Hermione put matching make up on Filch and Mrs Norris.

They crept back to the Ravenclaw quarters under invisibility cloaks. Harry changed out of Marietta's clothing and gave it back to Hermione along with Marietta's wand while Hermione changed out of Cho's clothes. She then cleaned Cho's and Marietta's clothes slightly so that any trace of her or Harry was removed. She lifted the noticed me not charm and used Cho's wand to confundus Marietta and used Marietta's wand to confundus Cho. Hermione then lifted the sleeping spell before giving them a light stunning spell so they would wake up in time for lunch. As she left to take another shower, Hermione return their wands to them. Harry and Hermione then waited for their past selves to use the time turner before joining their friends for lunch.

Halfway through lunch, Filch stormed into the Great Hall holding a miffed Mrs Norris in his arms. As soon as the students saw Filch's and Mrs Norris' matching ballerina costumes and makeup, the sound of laughter erupted throughout the hall. Students started shouting.

"Very Fetching,"

"Did you two just return from a date?"

"Are you our lunch time entertainment?"

"Did you forget to do your laundry again?"

"Was there a costume party?"

"That's where my little sister's Halloween costume disappeared too,"

"They say pets and owners look alike but this is going a bit too far,"

Filch made his way to the head table and asked Professor McGonagall,

"Can you please help get rid of our silly clothes? I tried to do it for half-hour without success,"

"I can do it," Professor Lockhart offered as he vanished Mrs Norris' clothing to reveal a naked pissed off kitty. The cat struggled to break free from Filch so she could attack Professor Lockhart. Seeing the angry cat, Professor Lockhart took his leave. Mrs Norris calmed down after Professor Lockhart left.

"I want the students who did this expelled," Filch said as Professor McGonagall changed his clothes into something more normal.

"Calm down. What happened?" Professor Dumbledore said.

"Two people stunned me this morning and changed everything I owned. I know it was you two," Filch said to the Weasley twins. They have been his greatest aggravation since the moment they arrived at Hogwarts.

"It could not have been them; they were at a birthday party with me," Professor Sprout stated. This made Filch a little uncertain.

"Did you see their faces?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"No," Filch replied

"Why don't we go back to your quarters to investigate what happened and see if we can identify the culprits?" Professor McGonagall offered. Filch reluctantly agreed. So Filch, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore left the hall to go to Filch's quarters. Fred and George tried to follow them to see the extent of the prank but Professor Snape yelled at them to stay or face detention with him.

A little later Cho and Marietta arrived for lunch.

"What happened?" Marietta asked.

"Someone pranked Filch," Mandy said.

"Do they know who?" Cho asked.

"No. They are trying to find out now," Padma replied.

"What did they do?" Marietta asked.

"They changed his clothes to a pink ballerina costume. It was hilarious," Mandy replied.

"So you saw the costume?" Cho asked.

"Nearly everyone saw it as he came to the Great Hall in it," Padma replied.

"Why would he go to the Great Hall dress like that?" Cho asked.

"His cat was dressed in the same costume, and he stormed into the hall to get help for his cat," Mandy replied.

"Professor Lockhart was trying to show off, so he removed the clothes from the cat but also removed Mrs Norris' fur as well. Mrs Norris was really angry because of it," Padma added.

"Did anyone get any photos?" Marietta asked.

"That first year student, Colin something, that takes photos of everything should have some photos. Do you see him anywhere?" Padma replied.

"His name is Colin Creevey, and he was there but I think he was able to sneak out after Filch and the Professors," Hermione replied.

"I guess we ask him later for the photos," Cho stated.

A little later, Professor McGonagall arrived in the Great Hall and asked Cho and Marietta to come with her. Most Ravenclaw students went back to their Common room to wait for Cho and Marietta to return from their visit. Harry and Hermione however took a detour to an empty classroom. As soon as they reached the classroom, Hermione asked Harry.

"Are you sure you could not find the Diary?"

"Yes I checked his office and quarters twice. The Diary was not there," Harry stated emphatically.

"Do you think we need to move up our schedule?" Hermione asked.

"I think we should stick to our original plan. If Dumbledore has the diary then he will not destroy until he has examined it thoroughly. By the time he destroys it, Ginny might have already made another attempt at the Chamber of Secrets since she is currently possessed by Voldemort. We will still have our scape goat," Harry explained.

"Are you sure that Ginny is possessed by Voldemort?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"Yes. She already tried to get to the Chamber of Secrets, something she would not do if she was not possessed by Voldemort," Harry pointed out.

"I guess you are right," Hermione replied without conviction. She was concerned that without the Diary, Voldemort would not be able take control over Ginny. Deciding to put her doubts at the back of her mind and believe in Harry, she led Harry back to the Ravenclaw common room.

About half an hour before curfew, a despondent pair of girls entered the Ravenclaw Common Room. Cho and Marietta were immediately bombarded by questions from their house mates. Penny then took over and said.

"One question at a time."

"Did you prank Filch?" A seventh year student that Harry and Hermione did not recognise asked.

"We did not do anything to Filch or Mrs Norris. However the professors do not believe us so we have been given one week's detention with Filch," Marietta replied. This response made quite a few classmates cringe at the thought of a vindictive Filch being in charge of them.

"Did they have any proof that you guys did it?" Another student asked.

"Our wands were used to carry out the prank according to the professors. We don't know how that happened as we were sleeping in at the time," Marietta replied.

"Are you sure that you did not do the prank?"

"We are positive that we did not do the prank!" Cho said angrily.

"Enough questions. Let them get some rest," Penny said to the gathered crowd.

A/N Thank you for all your great reviews and for the assistance of my betas.


	43. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

A pissed off Mrs Norris started following Cho and Marietta around like their very own drill sergeant. Whenever they tried to do something wrong, Mrs Norris would Meow loudly or scratch them depending on the severity of the transgression. Cho and Marietta tried to get away from Mrs Norris or trap her in broom closets without much success. Mrs Norris would always find them again using their scent to follow their trail. After all, their scent was how Mrs Norris identified her attackers in the first place. Whenever they did try to get rid of her, Mrs Norris would give them a severe scratching when she found them again. It became a common sight to see Cho and Marietta walking around followed by a furless Mrs Norris. She was furless because she did not trust the professors enough to allow them to help remedy the problem.

Occasionally Filch could be seen trying to put a coat or jacket on Mrs Norris while saying,

"You'll catch a cold if you don't keep warm."

Mrs Norris would try to avoid Filch as she had now had a phobia associated with what passed for cat wear. The sight of Filch chasing Mrs Norris with a jacket provided tons of entertainment for the entire school. It seemed like Professor Lockhart was the only person not entertained by the display. He was scared of the cat since every time they crossed paths the cat would hiss at him. That was not the only problem Lockhart had as Healer Chapman had not been able to discover the shrinking curse. He was also completely puzzled as to why the professor had to go to the toilet so often. Professor Lockhart was forced to constantly eat and drink to ensure he was properly hydrated and got enough nutrients. Lockhart's frequent runs to his quarters had earned him the nickname "Running Locky". Whenever Harry and Hermione had DADA, Lockhart would mysteriously get the runs.

On one such occasion, Harry asked Hermione, "Have you made any progress on removing the curse on the Hallows?"

"I still can't remove it but I have worked out who put the curse on the Hallows and what the curse does," Hermione replied with frustration clearly visible on her face.

"Who put the curse on the Hallows?" Harry said with interest.

"It was all three Peverell brothers. They used some sort of ancient blood ritual which encourages the owners of the items to get together at Samhain. Samhain is now known as Halloween. I believe they had the best intentions when they did the ritual; they wanted to make sure the family stayed in touch," Hermione explained.

"That would explain why bad things keep happening to me at Halloween. I wonder why they have not reunited before now if that is the case."

"It is very simple. The Potters hid the fact they had the cloak of invisibility. Even if the owner of the elder wand did meet the Potters at Halloween, they would think nothing of it. While the Gaunts might have the resurrection stone but without strong magical cores, they were not drawn to the other owners and vice versa."

"That makes sense. Since the curse does not seem to be harmful, and I own all three of the deadly hallows now, the removal of the curse can wait," Harry declared.

"Okay," Hermione said reluctantly.

"Have you sent the instructions for the portkey redirection ward to Grant yet?" Harry asked.

"I sent that ages ago; it was a very simple adjustment to the standard anti-portkey ward," Hermione replied.

"Do you want to help me release the binds on Fawkes?"

"Don't you need to work out a way of adjusting the detection grid?"

"Done it already and I know where the ward markers are. I know what we need to do change their detection properties. At Christmas, I will get Jake or Doug to begin putting my plans into action."

"We usually work on different projects so that we can cover more ground. Why the sudden desire to work on a project together?" Hermione asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I just thought it would be a nice change to do a project together for once," Harry replied.

"Okay," Hermione said with a smile.

At dinner, a very happy Ron entered the Great Hall. He was so happy that Ron would have put Colin to shame. After moving closer to the Gryffindor table, Ron lifted his arms in victory and yelled.

"I got onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"What position?" Neville asked loudly as he knew his friend wanted to show off.

"Starting Seeker," Ron replied.

"Congratulations," Neville said.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other before Harry said, "Gryffindor must be desperate if they take Ron as seeker. He is a pathetic seeker."

"Who do you think is worse, Ron or Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. They were both equally bad, and Ron was a mediocre goalie at best," Harry replied.

"I want to try something," Hermione said with a mischievous smile.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione did their homework with their friends in the Ravenclaw common room. They left to go to get things from their rooms. When they were at their rooms, they used their time turners and put on their invisibility cloaks. Hermione snuck into Cho and Marietta's room and stole their diaries.

They then made their way together to the Great Hall to follow Ron as he left the hall after dinner. When Ron split from his group of friends to go to the toilet, Harry and Hermione stunned him. Harry then took some polyjuice to look like Ron, while Hermione stripped the real Ron of his clothing and his wand. Checking to make sure that Cho and Marietta were at the library, Harry approached Ron's friends leaving Hermione with a naked defenceless Ron.

"Do you know I just overheard two Ravenclaw girls dishing on our Gryffindor Quidditch team?" Harry as Ron said with outrage.

"They were just being jealous," Dean said.

"No! We cannot let that type of gossiping to go without punishment. We need to get them back for what they are saying about our team," Harry said.

"Okay, what do you suggest?"

"I believe I heard they were going to the library. If you distract them, I will search through their bags for something interesting such as their diaries," Harry suggested.

"Who are the girls?" Seamus asked.

"I will point them out when we reach the library. Let's go before they leave," Harry said. Harry and Ron's friends proceeded to the library where he directed them to Cho and Marietta. While Neville, Seamus and Dean distracted Cho and Marietta, Harry pretended to steal their diaries from their bags. After Harry gave two thumbs up to say he was done, Neville, Seamus and Dean left the library as Harry re-joined them.

"What are we going to do with the diaries?" Neville asked.

"Maybe we should give to Lavender and Parvati. They would gossip about all the juicy things they find in the diaries," Dean suggested.

"I have a better idea. One of my brothers' friends mentioned that he could make Professor Binns say anything he wants. I was thinking I was going to get him to read the juicier passages from the diaries during our history of magic class," Harry suggested.

"That sounds great. It would be more interesting to hear parts of the diaries rather than listening to the normal lecture given by Binns," Seamus said.

"I will go to see my brother's friend," Harry as Ron said as he left.

Harry checked the Marauders' Map and found the real Ron and Hermione in an empty classroom close to the Ravenclaw common room. He quickly made his way there. Where he found Ron tied to a chair with Hermione standing over him.

"What did you do to him?" Harry asked.

"I forced fed him a potion that reduces a person's will before hypnotising him," Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

"What else did you do to him?" Harry asked.

"I might have made him infertile," Hermione replied guiltily.

"That's my girl," Harry said as he hugged Hermione.

"I also did something else but it will be a surprise," Hermione said with a cheeky grin.

"When will I find out what you did?" Harry asked.

"At the Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match..." Hermione said which made Harry wonder what Hermione had done.

"I look forward to finding out. Can you give me any hints?" Harry pleaded.

"It will spoil the surprise."

"Okay. By the way, I convinced Ron's friends that he stole Cho and Marietta's diaries to get them back for an imaginary insult."

"That is great. I still don't know how you found the spell that makes a ghost say anything you want it to say? It is just such an unusual spell. Where did you find it?"

"When I was training to be an Auror, I came across the spell. It used to be used to organise truces between two warring parties ages in the past. Ghosts could pass messages to the other side without getting hurt," Harry explained.

"I love it when you get technical," Hermione said. "So who are going to use as the scapegoat?"

"I was thinking Pansy or Percy."

"Ron would never deal with a Slytherin[,] and Percy is too uptight to be convincing."

"How about Roger Davies? I know how you dislike him for defending and protecting Cho and her friends."

"Brilliant. Where is he at the moment?"

"He is in the toilet of his dorm room," Harry said.

"Why don't we get him now?" Hermione suggested enthusiastically.

"Don't we have to work out which passages we want him to read out first?" Harry asked.

"We can work it out after we get him," Hermione said with passion.

"Okay," Harry replied as Hermione dragged him out the door with Ron still tied up.

Harry stunned Roger from behind before putting him into bed with a temporary notice me not ward. Hermione then collected his wand and a few hairs for polyjuice. They went back to the classroom and released Ron. They hit him with several confundus spells, which were easier to do than obliviate him, and the risks were a lot less to achieve similar results. Harry then took polyjuice to look like Roger and temporarily transfigured his clothes to fit. Once he looked like Roger, Harry went in search of Professor Binns. When he found the ghost, Harry used Roger's wand to spell the Professor to quote a number of interesting passages from the diaries. The spell made the Professor repeat the quotes to certain students within his second, third, fourth and fifth year classes. When he was done, Harry asked Dobby to return Roger's wand and to put the diaries with his things.

The next day, Harry and Hermione actually looked forward to their History of Magic class and they were not disappointed. As soon as Mandy entered the room, Professor Binns said,

"Today we are going to be reading excerpts from the diaries of Marietta and Cho.

"On the 5th April 1992, Marietta wrote Professor Snape would be quite attractive if his washed his hair.

"On 28th of June 1992 Cho wrote I wonder if Professor Snape's billowing cape is achieved by magic. Imagine if I could apply that effect to my hair…"

The entire lesson was devoted to excerpts from the two diaries. Mandy was enjoying the materials so much that she stunned Lisa before she could go for help. This deterred anyone else from wanting to go to get another professor to stop the lesson. Some of the better quotes were:

"Draco Malfoy is good looking but his behaviour reminds me of a bull in a china shop. He has no understanding of finesse, and he has the charm of a vulture.

"I wonder if Draco is gay since he has two guys following him around all the time.

"Professor Lockhart is such a wannabe.

"Cedric Diggory would make the perfect practice boyfriend as he is good looking and gets on well with most people. He lacks the power or wealth to be a good candidate for a serious long term boyfriend or husband material.

"Harry Potter has the potential to be a good future boyfriend or husband. He has it all, looks that will improve with time, he is intelligent, likeable, has bucket loads of political power, titles, a great reputation, and I heard he is also very wealthy. The only downside is that he hangs around with that know-it-all all the time.

"I don't understand why Susan Bones straps her tits in when most girls like Lavender Brown pad their bras.

"What would happen if two ghosts collide? Would they pass through each other or crash?"

The quotes from the diaries continued throughout the lesson until the bell rang. It was probably the first History of Magic class in over a century where the students paid attraction to what the professor was saying. Mandy and a few other students were taking notes of what was being said, another rare occurrence at a History of Magic class. Harry did get a little embarrassed by the quotes about him but it was necessary to push the blame towards Ron. Hermione got a little upset about being called the "know it all" but understood why it was necessary. The rest of the students who were not mentioned were enjoying the entertainment.

For the rest of the day, the entire school was focused on the excerpts from Cho and Marietta's diaries. At dinner, most of the students who were mentioned by the diaries were trying to keep a low profile. Cho and Marietta were both suspicious due to their absence. Ron then strutted into the Great Hall as if he owned it.

"Why does Ron look like he ate the canary?" Hermione asked her Ravenclaw housemates.

"He admitted to stealing Cho and Marietta's diaries. He said that they deserved it, and he refused to implicate anyone else who helped him," Mandy replied.

"Did they find the diaries?" Harry asked.

"Roger Davies found the diaries amongst his stuff but they don't think he was involved," Padma replied.

"Do the professors know who else is involved?"

"No. They don't even know what spell they used. Everything the professors did to try to stop Professor Binns from spreading the gossip failed. All they could do was place a silence ward around him," Mandy replied.

"Are they still looking for the people who helped Ron since I doubt that he could pull it off alone?"

"No. The professors have given up looking for the culprits even though some people like Professor Snape, Draco, Cho and Marietta are pushing for the investigation to continue."

"At least, they have Ron to take out their anger on."

"Ron is an idiot. It is not worth their time to take their anger out on a prat."

"Where are Cho and Marietta?" Hermione asked.

"They are having dinner in the kitchens and staying in their dorm room as much as possible."

Over the next few days, Cho and Marietta were rarely seen except for classes. They were having most of their meals in their dorm room. Whenever Cho and Marietta did venture out into public, people would make digs at them like, "Would you kiss Professor Snape if I forced him to wash his hair?"

Ron was lapping up the attention from the incident. Professor Snape was in even more of a foul mood than normal, if that was possible. Draco was getting mad as people would make digs at him. He was picking on Ron, his friends and family more often to let off some steam. Draco avoided pissing off the twins after he tried taunting them, and they changed his clothes into a clown costume complete with big purple hair, large squeaky shoes and clown make up. Colin was able to capture that image, and he made a roaring trade selling copies of the photo. He was making quite a bit of money selling the different photos he took.

Harry met Sirius in order to complete the trap setup in the passageway that led to the Chamber of Secrets. After they had finished, Harry showed Sirius the photos that Colin had taken of the various pranks they played. Sirius fell over laughing when he saw the photos of Filch and Mrs Norris in their matching ballerina costumes. He also set off one of the traps himself because he was laughing so uncontrollable.

"I needed that," Sirius said when he finally got control of himself.

"Have things been that bad?" Harry asked.

"I am moving every week to avoid potential threats, and Lucius Malfoy has put a 50 thousand galleon bounty on my head. One of my security guards got tempted by the bounty and took a pot-shot at me. When the other security guards found out, they killed him before he could make another attempt," Sirius explained.

"I thought that the contracts would protect you from that. What happened to the security guards that killed the assassin?" Harry asked in shock.

"He did not understand the risks he was taking in breaching the contract. So I worked with my head of security to improve the contracts so they would get a warning if they come close to breaching the agreement. This way our employees will know better than to risk breaching their contracts for the bounty. The magical authorities considered the killing an act of self-defence so the case is closed."

"Are you sure you can trust your head of security?"

"I believe I can since he explained why he has my interests at heart. He will make more money in the long term if he keeps me alive. His continued employment with me and his improved reputation by keeping me safe will make getting another high paid job a lot easier."

"So are you getting him to plan your schedules?"

"No. Only my house-elves know where I am going. It is safer that way since they are totally loyal to me. Enough with the twenty questions; I was thinking that we should block off the chamber of secrets by creating a solid wall here," Sirius said as he indicated section on the map.

"We were planning to create a massive barrier using our mining waste around here. The mining waste will come from the expansion of the Chamber of Secrets. We plan to expand the Chamber of secrets by a tremendous amount so that it can accommodate the Acromantula colony and the Basilisk as well. Using the waste from the expansion will make it look like a rock fall," Harry explained as he outlined their plans for the Chamber of Secrets on the map they had previously created.

"I like how you going to use that big boulder to control when to release the mining waste and to stop the flow of mining waste to allow access to the Chamber of Secrets again. Are you planning to create this system during Christmas?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. We were going to explain it to Doug during our break so that he could execute it on our behalf," Harry replied.

"Well, manpower will not be an issue since I heard a lot of newly identified witches and wizards have applied to work in the mines during Christmas due to the high pay you are offering your workers. It gives them access to the investment schemes you guys have created, which is causing quite a stir. Maybe I will invest more with you guys," Sirius said.

"You are always welcome," Harry said as they continued discussing their plans.


	44. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Second year Halloween

Halloween came around and Harry and Hermione were still unsure where the diary had gone. Nothing unusual occurred; Ginny was still being followed by her brothers while Cho, Marietta and Malfoy were still embarrassed by the diary incident. They decided to delay their plans for a day since Halloween was always an eventful time for Harry.

At 11pm on Halloween night, Tippy popped in Harry's dorm room.

"Master Harry, Sir. You have to wake up," Tippy pleaded as she tried to wake up Harry. It took a while to wake Harry from his slumber.

"Yes," a groggy Harry replied.

"Someone has tried to access the Chamber of Secrets from Myrtle's home," Tippy explained. This woke Harry up immediately.

"Has Myrtle left the toilet?" Harry asked.

"Yes. She has gone to spy on Dumbledore's reaction," Tippy replied.

"Have you told Hermione yet?"

"No, Master,"

"Could you please tell her now?" Harry said as he got up. Tippy popped away. Harry went to his trunk to get dressed and created a dummy of himself so that his dorm mates would not notice his absence. Tippy popped back after Harry had finished getting dressed.

"Mistress Hermy is awake, and she wants you to meet her at the Room of Requirement,"

"Thank you, Tippy. I need you to stay away from the toilet. Why don't you go find Dobby and stay at the house-elf quarters under my home for now?" Harry suggested.

"Are you sure you don't need my help, Master Harry?" Tippy asked.

"We will be fine. Get some sleep and we will talk to you tomorrow," Harry said. An unhappy Tippy popped away.

Harry then put on his cloak of invisibility and went to Hagrid's chicken shed. He killed all of the roosters and drained their blood into a bucket. He took the bucket with him to the meeting with Hermione. When Hermione arrived at the Room of Requirement a few minutes after Harry did, the first thing she did was ask, "What is in the bucket?"

"The blood of the roosters I just killed," Harry replied.

"Good idea. Let's see who fell into our trap," Hermione said. They made their way to the passageway that led to The Chamber of Secrets where they found an unconscious Ginny with a Mohawk and a dominatrix outfit. Hermione took a few photos to give Sirius later to prove to him how successful their traps were. Harry then undid the transfigurations, and Hermione searched Ginny for the diary. When she found it, Hermione swapped it with a fake she created. The pair splashed Ginny with quite a bit of chicken blood to give the impression she killed the roosters. Once they were satisfied with Ginny's appearance, Hermione levitated Ginny and Harry to the entrance of Myrtle's toilet. Harry hissed to open the door and levitated the unconscious form of Ginny into Myrtle's toilet. He changed his voice and made sure his invisibility cloak covered him before waking up Ginny.

"Who's there?" Ginny asked as soon as she woke up.

"Someone you will obey if you don't want to get into trouble..," Harry said in an ominous voice. He sent a powerful stinging hex to reinforce the threat.

"Okay. What do you want me to do?" Ginny said fearfully.

"Write 'Enemies and Traitors of the Heir Beware. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.' on that wall there. Use the blood in the bucket to write it and make it big," Harry instructed.

"Is that all?" Ginny asked.

"Do it!" Harry commanded. Ginny followed Harry's instructions to the letter. Once she had finished, Harry fired the Obliviate spell on Ginny. Ginny looked around and saw no one. She then saw the blood and words and fled back to her dorm. Hermione appeared from under an invisibility cloak with a stunned Mrs. Norris. Harry then went back into the chamber and got the Basilisk to petrify the blood on the wall and Mrs. Norris. They reset the traps and went back to bed.

The next morning, the school was all abuzz when Harry and Hermione arrived down for breakfast.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked.

"Someone wrote a mysterious message on a wall and petrified Mrs Norris," Mandy replied.

"What was the message?" Harry inquired.

"Something about the Chamber of Secrets being opened. Talk about being melodramatic," Mandy said flippantly.

"You might think it is funny, but did you know that the Dark Lord that Harry here helped remove was said to be the Heir of Slytherin? This could signal his return," Lisa said in an ominous tone that made Mandy gulp with fear.

"Do not worry as we have both Harry and Professor Dumbledore here. He would not dare do anything while the person he fears and the person who defeated him are both here," Michael Corner said in a light-hearted manner to try to break the tension.

"You and Mandy don't have to worry as you are both purebloods, but your families were able to avoid the war due to their lack of power and influence. The rest of us would be considered either his enemies or traitors who supported his cause but deserted him when he died," Lisa said passionately.

"It could be just a prank," Harry said as he saw his plan backfire.

"If it was only the cat that was petrified then Cho and Marietta would be the prime candidates since they despise that cat. But the reference to the Chamber of Secrets is not their style," Mandy said.

"Maybe they saw the message first and then decided to petrify Mrs Norris. That way, people would think the people who wrote the message also petrified the cat," Harry suggested.

"That does sound like them," Mandy admitted. "They are opportunists,"

"So who do you think wrote the message?" Lisa asked.

"It is not the right style for the Weasley twins. They were next in line as they are the school's most prolific pranksters. Maybe Peeves?" Harry suggested.

"Peeves would do such a tasteless joke, and it is definitely a possibility," Lisa admitted. The conversation then moved on to other matters. At the end of the meal, Harry turned to Hermione and said.

"I think we should poison Draco in case Lucius pulls him from school before we can execute the second part of the plan,"

"I am way ahead of you. Part of my plan B was to poison Draco, and I have already done so," Hermione replied smugly.

"You could have told me. By the way, why doesn't he show any symptoms if you already poisoned him?" Harry asked curiously.

"It is a slow acting poison that Ashley found that mimics the effects of lung cancer. It is undetectable by magic but an X-ray would reveal it," Hermione replied.

"Where on Earth did she find such a poison?"

"She found it in the Black family library. It was created ages ago when they did not know what lung cancer was, and they thought it was just someone's time when it happened," Hermione replied.

"Narcissa might know the potion in that case,"

"I doubt it. Narcissa would probably tell Snape, and there is nothing in his notes about the potion. Bella would be more likely to know but she is gone now,"

"If Malfoy gets eaten by the Basilisk, what does the poison do to the snake?" Harry said. Concerned about the cash flow they were making from the Basilisk.

"The venom from the snake would destroy the poison before it could do any damage to any snake," Hermione replied with certainty.

"I say we go to stage two of our plan," Harry suggested.

"Agreed, we did not expect people to connect the Dark Lord to the heir so quickly," Hermione said.

"I think telling them about the Mind Arts was a mistake. It allows them to recall things better," Harry said.

"It is too late to change it now; we can only go with the flow," Hermione said.

They were on the lookout for any opportunity to do the second stage of their plan. But Ginny was not seen at all the next day. At the end of the day, Hermione asked Padma.

"Do you know why Ginny has not come to meals today?"

"Someone hid all her belongings last night. She woke up with nothing but her sleepwear. No one from her year was willing to lend her any clothes, and she refused to wear anything from her brothers. She was stuck in her dorm room all day while her brothers looked for her things," Padma replied.

"Why did she not transfigure her nightwear into a school uniform so she could help search for her own belongings?" Harry suggested.

"Would you walk around in the halls with transfigured clothes that could be reverted back to nightwear by a simple Finite?" Padma asked.

"Definitely not," Harry replied as he imagined walking around in his boxer shorts.

"Have they found her belongings yet?" Hermione asked.

"No. They are still looking for them," Padma replied.

"What are the odds that Ginny's belongings are currently residing in Myrtle's toilet?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

"A gamble I won't be willing to take," Hermione whispered back. "We should check there and talk to Myrtle and Tippy as well,"

"You should go alone. It will look strange if a guy goes into the girl's toilet," Harry suggested.

"Okay. See you guys later," Hermione said as she left. Hermione headed to Myrtle's toilet and found a slight repulsion ward around the door.

"That explains why no one has found Ginny's belongings," Hermione said to no one in particular. She then entered the toilets ignoring the ward, and Ginny's belongings were in Myrtle's cubicle like they suspected.

"Tippy!" Hermione called and Tippy appeared.

"Yes, Mistress Hermy?" Tippy said.

"Can you get Myrtle for me, please?" Hermione requested.

"Yes, Mistress Hermy," Tippy said as she popped away. A little later, Tippy returned with Myrtle.

"Thank you both for helping us ensure there were no fatalities from that creature last night," Hermione said straight away. Both of them blushed before saying, "you are welcome" in unison.

"We were not ready to kill it last night. Do you mind moving to another location until we can kill the beast?" Hermione asked.

"What about the children? If we move then the children will have no warning of any attack," Myrtle pointed out.

"We plan to jam the secret door so that nothing can get in or out. We will also keep a lookout for the person who is letting the beast out into the school," Hermione said reassuringly.

"I can stay here and keep watch if you want," Myrtle offered. "The beast is unlikely to be able to affect me,"

"We need you to keep an eye on Dumbledore for us. By the way, what was the Headmaster's reaction to the message and the petrification?" Hermione asked.

"He does not think it is very important. Instead he is focused on training Neville and trying to work out a way to make him the new champion of light. There is some sort of prophecy in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry that he wants to change to say that it refers to Neville rather than Harry," Myrtle reported.

"So he has done nothing in regard to this potential threat?" Hermione said in outrage.

"The headmaster has decided to put up monitoring charms throughout the school including your trunks in response to incident," Myrtle replied.

"Doesn't he use the portraits and house-elves to monitor people?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"The portraits have refused to help him due to the articles about what he has done. The sorting hat has asked the house-elves not to report what they see you two do. Since the sorting hat is aligned closer to Hogwarts than the Headmaster, the house-elves listen to the sorting hat first before the Headmaster," Myrtle stated.

"I did not know that. So the house-elves are tied to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, they are bonded to the wards since they need to bond with something or someone to survive. That is the extent of my knowledge in that area," Myrtle explained.

"Thank you for your help. Where do you want to stay while we take care of the beast?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere at Hogwarts because we want to be close to each other," Tippy requested.

"How about the room which held the philosopher's stone last year?" Hermione suggested.

"That sounds great," Tippy replied.

"Do you need help moving?" Hermione asked.

"I should be fine but if I need help I will ask Dobby," Tippy said.

"Do you want to start moving now before it gets dark and dangerous?" Hermione asked.

"I will start moving now," Tippy said as she started packing her things. Hermione began collecting all of Ginny's belongings before leaving Tippy to move in peace. She found the twins trying to sneak into Professor Snape's private quarters to look for their sister's possessions. When they saw Hermione with Ginny's belongings, they felt relieved that they did not have to break into Snape's private quarters.

"What are you doing with our sister's things?" Fred asked.

"I heard that you were looking for her things. That is when I realised you might have overlooked an obvious place because you are guys," Hermione said with mischief in her eyes.

""So tell us poor, intellectually challenged blokes where you found our sister's things," George said while pretending to be a buffoon.

"Where she was locked in last time, the second level girl's toilet…" Hermione said.

"How could we be so dumb?" Fred said.

"You are guys," Hermione said.

"Thank you, Hermione," George said as Hermione left to find Harry so she could tell him what happened.

The next morning, Ginny arrived at breakfast early with her brothers. This caused quite a bit of snickering throughout the hall. Draco approached Ginny with Goyle and Crabbe.

"I heard you lost your things yesterday. It looks like they are still missing judging by the disgusting state of your clothes," Draco said. Ginny fled.

"Go away, Malfoy," Ron said which Draco ignored. When Fred got up, Draco and his two underlings fled back to the Slytherin table. Fred then went after Ginny to try to comfort her.

Not much time had passed before the owls came in carrying the Daily Prophet. The headline was Slytherin's heir has returned. There was an article about the death of a student the last time it happened. It also highlighted the fact that Hagrid was suspected of causing the death of the student by opening the Chamber of Secrets the previous time.

"We need to go to the next stage right now! Hagrid might not be on our side but he is innocent," Hermione said with frustration.

"I agree but there has not been an opportunity to put it into effect. Maybe we should use the time turners to go early to the next meal and wait for them outside the Great Hall?" Harry suggested.

"Okay," Hermione said.

Just before lunch, they used their time turners to wait for Ginny and Ron to enter the Great Hall. When they arrived, Hermione started conjuring snakes while Harry did the spells that would temporarily allow Ginny and Ron to speak only in hisses. As Ron and Ginny entered the Great Hall, they did not realise they were hissing at each other or that they were followed by quite a few snakes. People started screaming when they saw the snakes. Their Gryffindor housemates were yelling, "Heir of Slytherin" while trying to get away from them. The Slytherins and the Ravenclaw students were enjoying the show as they had not seen the snakes yet. When they did see the snakes, the rush for the exits became a stampede.

It was to this scene that Minister Fudge entered with Lucius Malfoy and two aurors. They had come to arrest Hagrid to show that the Ministry was doing something. Instead of performing a simple arrest, they were able to witness the chaos caused by the conjured snakes. At the Professors' table, the Professors were trying to get rid of the snakes but the fleeing students were getting in the way. The aurors were dispatched to help deal with the snakes while Minister Fudge and Lucius Malfoy approached Dumbledore. When Professor Dumbledore saw Minister Fudge coming towards him, he started banging his head on the table in frustration.

"How can I help you, Minister Fudge?" Dumbledore said in a fake friendly voice.

"Do you mind telling us what is going on?" Minister Fudge asked.

"Someone played a practical joke that got out of hand," Dumbledore replied.

"Does this type of thing happen here often?" Lucius Malfoy asked with fake sweetness.

"No. It was a one off incident which I plan to personally investigate," Dumbledore said as he knew that Malfoy would try to use this event to push for a ministry investigation of the school.

"I will be interested to hear the results of your investigations," Minister Fudge replied as he seemed to be satisfied with Dumbledore's response. The two aurors then dragged the hissing duo of Ron and Ginny towards the Professors' table.

"These two were controlling the snakes," Auror Dawlish announced.

"Slytherin was a well-known parselmouth like these two. Maybe we should interrogate them as well," Lucius Malfoy suggested. The two students looked horrified by the suggestion.

"That won't be necessary. This is just a simple prank that got out of control. These two were just the innocent victims of the prank," Dumbledore assured them.

"It will be your head if something else happens," Minister Fudge said which made Lucius Malfoy smirk.

"Is that all gentlemen?" Dumbledore asked as he wanted them out of his school.

"We want to arrest Hagrid and put him in protective custody," Minister Fudge informed.

"What do you mean protective custody?" Hagrid asked in fear.

"We want to put you somewhere to separate you from the students," the Minister replied.

"Where is the somewhere?" Hagrid asked.

"Azkaban," Minister Fudge replied.

"I thought that place was destroyed." Lucius said.

"It was but we are having the place rebuilt. Hagrid can test out the wards on the place for us. It is suppose to replicate the effects of dementors." Fudge said remembering the glee from his Undersecretary when he approval the request.

"No way, I am not going to that place or be your test subject," Hagrid said with determination.

"You have no choice," Minister Fudge said.

"Go with them, Hagrid," Dumbledore said. "I will try to get you out as soon as I can,"

Hagrid reluctantly went with Minister Fudge and his entourage. When they left, Ron and Ginny gave a great sigh of relief.


	45. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

A few days later at breakfast, Hermione received a letter from her parents requesting a meeting to discuss an issue that had arisen. No other details were given about the nature of the meeting. She handed the letter to Harry so he could read it.

"So should we go tonight?" Harry asked.

"No. I don't think it is that urgent. Let's delay it for a few days so that we can organise a distraction big enough to make our absence unnoticed," Hermione suggested.

"When should we hold the meeting then?"

"I don't know. Let me think about it and I will get back to you," Hermione said.

"We could always fake another attack of the heir," Harry suggested.

"Maybe but let me think about it," Hermione replied as she turned to see what was causing the disturbance in the Great Hall. It was Ron and Ginny entering the Great Hall. Almost everyone was looking at them warily. Ever since the snake incident, the pair of them were ostracised by everyone in the school. The Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students considered them Slytherin's heirs while the Slytherin students considered them blood traitors. Their isolation continued even when Professor Dumbledore announced that they were not the heirs of Slytherin. Dumbledore's reputation was not what it used to be.

The twins were the only people that tried to help them with the negative attention they were receiving. They were only able to prevent any direct attacks on their persons. Even Percy tried to distance himself from his youngest brother and sister in order to protect what little respect he had left. Neville was forbidden by his grandmother from associating with Ron. When Ron tried to sit next to Neville, he moved so that Ron and Ginny were now sitting by themselves.

Malfoy then strutted into the Great Hall with his two cronies.

"Do you know why Malfoy is strutting around like he owns the school again?" Hermione asked as she preferred Malfoy when he was embarrassed by Cho and Marietta's diaries.

"His father brought the entire Slytherin Quidditch team Nimbus 2001s to get Draco on the team. Rumour has it that his father got sick of Draco complaining that Ron was on the Quidditch team and he was not," Mandy supplied. Hermione immediately realised she forgot about the Slytherin and Gryffindor match coming up. It was the perfect distraction for their getaway. Harry had the same thought as they both turned to each other.

"You write the letter while I will take care of it?" Hermione suggested. Harry was going to object until he saw the expression on Hermione's face. She was already planning what she was going to do. Throughout the day, Harry bugged Hermione for details of her plans with regard to the Quidditch match but she would not relent. That evening after their usual study group, Hermione disappeared forcing Harry to cover for her. She returned as if nothing happened.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked.

"Toilet," Hermione replied.

"For that long?" Harry said with aggravation.

"I am experiencing my period. Do you want the details?" Hermione asked.

"Not necessary," Harry said quickly as he backed off. Once Harry had refocused on his own work, Hermione thought to herself, _men are so easy to distract_.

The next day at lunch, as Malfoy and his cronies entered the Great Hall their hair changed colour and style to match the Weasleys. Then their uniforms changed into exact copies of the outfit Ginny had on when Draco had insulted her. The three of them then all fell over attracting everyone's attention. A Gryffindor immediately yelled out.

"Are you guys worshipping the heirs to your house? You did not have to dress like them too."

First the Gryffindors started laughing then the Hufflepuffs followed closely by the Ravenclaws then finally the Slytherins. Draco and his two cronies fled from the Great Hall as more students yelled taunts at them. Things like:

"It is not Halloween."

"Did your mummies ban you from their closets?"

"Did you miss your mummies?"

"Did you lose a bet?"

"Did you have an accident while helping Professor Snape?"

"Did you have an accident while making Polyjuice?"

"Are you fulfilling one of Professor Snape's fantasies?"

"Did you forget to change?"

Professor Snape then ran after the three boys to find out what happened. He had a furious expression on his face.

After things quieted down, Harry turned to Hermione and said,

"Did you do that?"

"No, I think they did," Hermione replied as she pointed to Colin and Lee Jordan who were quietly celebrating.

"Do you know how they did it?" Harry asked.

"Either a time delay transfiguration or a proximity transfiguration trigger. My bet would be the proximity trigger as timing it so perfectly would be close to impossible," Hermione speculated.

Later that day, Hermione discovered the listening charms in their trunks that Myrtle warned them about. The charms were placed by Dumbledore and she suspected that Snape would be the one who would have to monitor the charms. So she decided to get some of her own back by transferring the charms to the most popular girl's toilet in the school. The person who monitored the charms would hear a lot about girls doing their business and talking about their feminine issues.

That Saturday when the Quidditch Match between Slytherin and Gryffindor began, Harry and Hermione snuck off to their meeting.

"Are you going to tell me what you did?" Harry asked as they made their way to the Grangers' home.

"No. When the meeting is over, you can see for yourself," Hermione said.

"Do you think the match will last that long?"

"Definitely, probably longer," Hermione replied which satisfied Harry for now.

"What do you think this meeting is about?" Harry asked.

"I don't know but we will soon find out," Hermione said.

They reached the dining room where the meeting was being held fairly quickly. When they entered, they found the room already occupied by Miles, Sirius, Grant, Dan and Emma. Greetings were exchanged before Grant spoke.

"Thank you for you all coming today. The reason why I called this meeting is that the Goblins have started to oppose us. They are trying to push through a number of different legislations in the US magical ministry that would curtail our operations. We need to work out what our response should be."

"What legislation are they pushing and what are the chances that any of the legislation will be passed?" Harry asked.

"We know of 3 pieces of legislation they are pushing but there could well be more. Miles, have you heard of any more?" Grant replied.

"Sorry but we are trying to stay neutral. Our organisation is all about equality including goblins so we are staying out of this argument," Miles said apologetically.

"Why are you here then?" Hermione demanded angrily. "Are you spying for the goblins?"

"No. Anything I hear today will stay between us. I swear. The only reason I am here is to offer suggestions and help when it does not conflict with our organisation's ideals," Miles stated.

"Maybe we should cut all of our funding off to your organisation if you are not willing to help?" Dan suggested.

Miles looked on with horror. They would be bankrupt within days if the Grangers carried out their threat.

"Do not be so hasty. Maybe we can reach a compromise we can all live with," Miles quickly suggested.

"Your organisation should not be protecting the Goblins. The Goblins do not respect other magical races and yet they expect protection from your organisation. I say they are hypocrites. They don't want equality they want superiority just like the pureblood elitists," Hermione said with passion.

"What do you want from us?" Miles pleaded since he did not want the organisation he loved to suddenly become bankrupt.

"We want your organisation to support us until the Goblins are willing to agree to equality among all races. If they are not willing to sign a new treaty with this principle as its core, then we will crush them with or without your organisation's assistance," Hermione said.

"I will need to talk to the leadership council about this," Miles said.

"You have one week before we remove all our support from your organisation," Dan threatened.

"I will need to go and start organising the meeting," Miles said nervously. He quickly made his exit after saying his farewells.

Harry then turned to Grant and said.

"Is this the reason why you wanted Miles in this meeting?"

"I was having trouble getting the Outcast movement to help us. So I thought that I will take a gamble that you guys would back me up. Not only did you back me up, you actually ripped into the leader before I asked," Grant said excitedly.

"So what was the legislation that the Goblins trying to push?" Harry asked.

"The first bit of legislation will ban anyone but Goblins from converting Galleons into pure gold by extracting the impurities. It is unlikely to be passed as the US magical ministry would reject any attempts by the goblins to control its economy unlike the Brits. This is the same reason why their next legislation will fail; the purpose of the legislation will make Gringotts the official bank for the US ministry of magic. The third piece of legislation would make Galleons the only accepted currency in the US Magical economy. We are having trouble fighting this legislation as the old guard at the US Magic Ministry support this legislation but we believe that we can defeat this bill by threatening to relocate our operations out of the US," Grant explained.

"What role has the Outcast movement played in this whole affair?" Hermione asked.

"Their political party stated that they were abstaining from these issues. This meant the minor parties would decide the outcome. If they said no like I wanted them to from the beginning, then we would not have wasted our time dealing with the Goblins. Since they would have already backed off," Grant said in frustration.

"Have the Goblins made any other moves?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, they are trying to find out what we are doing as well as charging us additional fees for our activities."

"So how are we counteracting it?" Dan asked.

"The contracts with our employees are holding for now and we are trying to do as much business as possible in muggle currencies."

"At least they are not threatening to start another rebellion," Harry joked.

"They would not dare. We are building quite a large security force for our various operations. If they rebel, we could cause them a world of pain since we understand and have access to non-magical weaponry that could annihilate them."

"We need to force the goblins to the bargaining table. If the Outcast Organisation comes back on board, then use them to get as many countries as they can to change their trading currency from galleons to non-magical currencies. If the local non-magical currency is unstable may I suggest using the Australian currency instead? The Australian dollar is pretty stable and the currency is a lot more difficult to counterfeit since it combines, plastic, metallic ink and trace amounts of magical substances," Hermione suggested.

"I will see what I can do," Grant replied as he took some notes down.

"I suggest that you lobby the US Magical Ministry to allow their muggle counterparts to seize the accounts of wizards or witches who commit major offences in the non-magical world. We would then offer to convert the galleons into non-magical currencies for them in exchange for a fee plus it would piss off the goblins as they hate losing gold," Sirius suggested.

"We should also get a percentage of their accounts for passing on any information we discovered that links them to major crimes," Dan suggested.

"I will start working on it right away," Grant replied happily. He thought that these were great ways to really hurt the goblins if they were successful. The goblins loved gold and most of the money goblins received came from the fees they charge for managing wizards' and witches' accounts. If they lost too many large accounts, they would not be able to support their community which could lead to wars between clans.

"How are you going to link purebloods to non-magical crime?" Hermione asked.

"We are developing really good contacts within the US non-magical law enforcement agencies. The fact that we have provided them with tonnes of the drugs we have seized has convinced them that we are trying to help. As a result, they are giving us a lot of intelligence about illegal activities they suspect is occurring but cannot prove. The intelligence has allowed us to intercept a lot of drugs, guns and money. Linking it back to wizards and witches is proving difficult especially when they are in Europe. We can connect about twenty high powered people but that is just the tip of the iceberg," Sirius explained.

"Have there been any arrests?" Harry asked.

"The non-magical law enforcement agencies have made quite a few arrests of low level and middle level players in the drug trade. No wizard or witch has been arrested so far. What really endeared us to these agencies is that due to our involvement the amount of drugs on the streets in the US from Central and South America has fallen significantly," Grant said proudly.

"Why hasn't a witch or wizard been arrested?" Harry asked.

"We are not ready to involve the US magical law enforcement department yet. Our plan is to drain them of cash flow before we attack them politically," Grant explained.

"Keep trying to connect as many American witches and wizards to illegal non-magical activity as possible. It should be one of your top priorities," Harry said. Grant took this as his cue to leave so he said his farewells and left. As Sirius prepared to follow suit, Hermione asked.

"Sirius, did you ever find out when the class action suit against Vernon was going to court?"

"It won't be for a while; they keep finding new people who wish to join the class action against Vernon,"

"How about Dudley?"

"His lawyers have pushed back their appeal as they desperately look for an angle to get Dudley off. I suspect nothing will happen until the New Year. I have got to go," Sirius said while looking around nervously.

"Okay, see you next time," Hermione said in farewell to Sirius. He said his farewell to everyone else before quickly making his exit. Harry and Hermione had a casual chat with Dan and Emma before they made their way back to Hogwarts.

Harry and Hermione went to the Quidditch pitch where the game was still in progress. Both sides looked tired from playing such a long game. Speculators were yelling abuse at the players especially the seekers.

"What is happening?" Harry asked Padma.

"Gryffindor is winning by 100 points as Oliver is a way better keeper. Slytherin would be way behind if it was not for the fact they have better brooms than the Gryffindors. But the main feature of the game is the bad performance of both seekers. Where have you two been?" Padma replied.

"We were studying near our common room. When none of you came back to our common room we came here to investigate why," Hermione lied. This response seemed to satisfy Padma.

"What makes you say that the seekers are bad? The snitch could be hiding itself very well during this match," Harry asked.

"I have seen the snitch on a number of occasions during the match so the snitch could not be hiding well. Besides the seekers have a better vantage point than I do and should have spotted the snitch on every occasion I saw it. Lee Jordan, the announcer believed the same thing which is why the spectators are so angry," Padma replied.

"What did you do?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Try guessing," Hermione whispered back. Harry knew it was not a notice me not charm on the snitch or else Padma would not have spotted the snitch.

"A selective notice me not spell on the snitch?" Harry guessed.

"No," Hermione replied as Angelina scored another goal.

"I don't know, just tell me," Harry pleaded.

"No, try guessing again," Hermione replied.

"Fidelius charm?" Harry guessed.

"No, try guessing again,"

"Compulsion charm?"

"No, try guessing again,"

"Repulsion charm?"

"No, try guessing again,"

Harry started listing all the spells he knew, starting with the most likely to outrageous suggestions.

"Okay I will tell you. I hypnotised both seekers so they don't see the snitch during the match. They would have no problems during practice sessions but during actual matches they will ignore the snitch. This way, no spells could be detected on either the snitch or players," Hermione informed Harry after Gryffindor pulled ahead of Slytherin by 160 points. Harry leaned back on his seat to enjoy the game once his curiosity was satisfied.

An hour later with the game still on, Lee Jordan decided to help things along for two reasons. The crowd was getting angrier as the match dragged on and he was getting tired from commentating. As soon as he spotted the snitch he announced.

"The snitch is now at the Gryffindor goal posts," Draco raced to the spot but could not see the snitch. He was soon joined by Ron who had the same problem. Lee slapped his forehead in frustration as he could see that the snitch was still there. The spectators could see it as well so in their frustration; they started conjuring vegetables and rotten eggs to chuck at the two seekers. Professor McGonagall took the mic from Lee and announced.

"Stop throwing things at the players at once! The next person to do so will have detention with me for a week!"

The crowd immediately stopped chucking crap at the players. Both seekers were covered in bits of vegetables and rotten eggs that were pelted at them. Whenever they strayed too close to the stands, the stench of the rotten eggs could easily be smelt.

A little later, Lee spotted the snitch again.

"The snitch is now flying in the middle of the pitch near the Hufflepuff stand," Lee announced. Both seekers raced to the spot again Draco arrived first but was still unable to catch the snitch. Ron also failed which resulted in another round of pelting this time they included dung. Oliver then called a time out. Ron was now trying to disturb the Slytherins' plays while Katie Bell looked for the snitch. It took Katie practically no time to catch the snitch to end the game. Ron and Draco then flew directly to Hooch.

"They cheated!" Malfoy declared as he pointed to the Gryffindors. "Someone charmed or jinxed me so that I could not see the snitch," He claimed.

"You are a liar. We did not cheat. Someone from your house must have jinxed me so that you would not look so bad," Ron countered.

"No one from my house would need to do anything to you. You could not catch the snitch if it was right in front of your face. Plus your house was probably scared that our new brooms would result in your thrashing," Malfoy said as he confronted Ron.

"You bought your way onto the Quidditch team unlike me who made it through talent," Ron replied as he stood up to Malfoy's challenge. Hooch saw what was happening so she pushed the boys apart.

"I will investigate both your claims but you have to stay apart until I do," Hooch said as she began scanning them. Once she was done, Hooch announced.

"There has not been any foul play. Both seekers and the snitch appeared to be free from outside influences,"

This resulted in both seekers being glared at by their respective teams. Both seekers looked afraid of their teammates as they entered the team dressing rooms.

A/N I forgot I destroyed the prison earlier in the story so I have adjusted the previous chapter to account for the destruction.

Thank you for your reviews and my betas.


	46. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The next morning, everyone at the Gryffindor table was upset. Padma walked back to the Ravenclaw table after talking with her sister who is a Gryffindor. She was swamped by people that were curious as to what was happening.

"This is what I found out from my twin..," Padma finally said when there was a break in the bombardment of questions she was receiving from her house mates. "Someone or some group of people broke into the Gryffindor dorm rooms and went through all of their stuff. The whole house is currently a mess and they are attempting to sort it out now,"

"When do they think it happened?" Lisa asked.

"It happened yesterday, during the Quidditch match. They don't know who did it yet, but a female student must have been involved since the girls dorms were broken into as well,"

"Did they ask the fat lady's portrait that was guarding the Gryffindor common room if anyone entered during the game?" Harry asked.

"That is just the thing; no one entered or left the common room during the game. They had to have been in the dorm room before the game. Since no one can be positive the culprit had not left the area, the professors made all the students stay in the common room while they searched each and every dorm room in the tower."

"How much damage was done?" Mandy asked.

"There was a great amount of damage done. Stuffed toys were ripped apart, trunks were broken into, and basically anything that could be used to hide a diary was damaged. Some of the stuff cannot be fixed and will have to be replaced. Just exactly who is going to replace it is still up in the air at the moment," Padma replied.

"I think Ginny or Voldemort discovered that the diary is a fake," Hermione whispered her suspicion to Harry.

"Why don't we go to the library so you can check what Ginny wrote in the fake diary?" Harry suggested.

"Okay, let's go," Hermione replied and Harry and Hermione took off to the library.

The fake diary's log showed that Ginny was not aware of any difference between the fake diary and the real one.

"Voldemort must have taken over Ginny's body again. I think next time she goes to the Chamber of Secrets, we should destroy the diary," Harry suggested.

"Agreed, I will move our tutorial class to a classroom near the second level girl's toilets so that we can catch Ginny," Hermione replied. Before Harry could speak, Cho and Marietta entered the library followed by Filch. Ever since Mrs Norris was petrified, Filch had been tailing Cho and Marietta in order to catch them doing something illegal so that he could punish them.

"Since hypnotism seemed to work so well, we should hypnotise Cho and Marietta so they don't remember gossip," Harry said as he forgot what he was going to say before due to the arrival of the pair. "Without their ability to gossip, their power within the school will disappear. It would make it impossible for them to bully other students like Luna."

"I like it but it can't be during the day since Filch is always following them. I will hypnotise them tonight," Hermione replied.

Soon afterwards, Cho and Marietta quickly lost their supposed "friends" as they now were unable to pass on gossip. Ron and Draco were both still on their houses' shit lists when Hermione got another letter from her parents requesting another meeting. So a week and a half after their previous meeting, Hermione and Harry snuck off to the Grangers' place again. They were greeted by the same people that were present at the last meeting.

"So has the Outcast Organisation decided what they are going to do?" Hermione asked Miles.

"After a very heated debate, we have decided to back your actions against the goblins. You need to know that you have made some enemies within our leadership due to your threat to withdraw funding," Miles replied.

"We are disappointed in your organisation as well for not consulting us before making decisions that have a major impact on us," Dan stated. "We will be restructuring our joint operations so that you are getting a dividend at the end of the year rather than allow you to withdraw your cut after each operation. Your cut will also be a lot smaller."

"We did nothing wrong so why are you penalising us?" Miles exclaimed, angry that the Grangers were penalising them for what he perceived as following his organisation's well-known purpose.

"You were trying to protect a group of people that do not believe in equality. Goblins consider witches and wizards as lesser beings. They would annihilate gnomes and dwarfs if they could since they consider them a threat to them. Your organisation was not promoting equality by staying neutral; you were helping them protect their unfair advantage," Hermione accused.

"That is so unfair," Miles said.

"So prove to me that the Goblins are fair and want equality for all," Hermione challenged Miles. Miles knew that goblins were a warrior race who believed in the survival of the fittest which was the exact opposition of equality.

"Why would they be in charge of the British Magical Economy if they were not fair?" Miles asked trying to justify his organisation's position.

"They forced the British Magical Society to hand over control of their economy by revolting. The treaties between the Goblins and the British Magical Society set out the rules that the Goblins have to obey when managing the British Magical economy for the wizards and witches. Anything that is not covered by the treaties is exploited by the Goblins. Did you not learn about Goblins during school?" Hermione asked condescendingly, accidentally insulting Miles in the process.

"Goblins are not as important in US magical society as they are in Britain," Miles explained while trying to control his temper.

"As a warrior race, they view your organisation as weak and do not respect it. What we are trying to do is force them to begin negotiating with us. Our ability to make money will make them respect us as it shows our ability to identify their weaknesses and exploit them. The fact that we have a large security force will ensure that they will behave. Finally, we have gold mining operations which are something they can relate to," Hermione explained in a way to show Miles what they were trying to achieve. This argument seemed to work as Miles relaxed a little.

"Let us move on as this is not getting us anywhere," Grant said as he tried to ease the tension in the room.

"Is your organisation going to help us against the goblins?" Hermione asked Miles refusing back down.

"We already said we will help you," Miles said.

"Is your organisation totally committed or will they cut and run at a later stage?" Hermione asked.

"We are committed now and will help you as much as we can but that can change in the future," Miles replied trying to pacify Hermione.

"Has Grant discussed what he needs your organisation to do?" Hermione asked.

"Not as yet, but I will talk to him tomorrow about what you need us to do," Miles said as if he really wanted to leave.

"Okay," Hermione replied which Miles took as an invitation to leave. He bid farewell to everyone before bolting away.

"I have got an update you might be interested in. After our last meeting, I made a visit to Mrs Figg. I did not like how she enabled Harry to be abused by his relatives so I released 15 cats I found into her house. The cats all had fleas and were either strays or runaways so they were in pretty bad shape. Then I called the RSCPA and reported her by saying how she had been collecting cats for years," Sirius said,

"What happened to her?" Emma asked with interest.

"All her cats had fleas and were seized for treatment. She is looking at boat load of animal cruelty charges, possible charges of theft, and she is unlikely to be allowed to own cats ever again," Sirius said proudly.

"Are you sure the charges will stick?" Hermione asked.

"I spoke to all her neighbours and convinced them that Mrs Figg collects cats. They now believe that Mrs Figg initially treats her cats well before she grows tired of them and forgets about them. She would leave them to fend for themselves and they would become feral in the process. Her big garbage days were the days that she disposed of the dead cats she had under her care," Sirius said.

"That is cruel, but I like it," Hermione said.

"Her mental state is going to be questioned," Emma added.

"That would be great," Sirius said with a predatory smile.

Sirius then took Grant to another room to discuss something leaving Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma in the room alone.

"So how is your property search going?" Harry asked Dan and Emma.

"It is going well and there are several properties we are interested in different parts of the country. We will want input from both of you before any decision is made," Emma replied. "In fact, when you have time and can get away unnoticed, why don't you come here so that I can take you to the various properties,"

"Do you have a preferred location at the moment?" Hermione asks.

"We are leaning towards New York City. It would be easier to entertain powerful people and politic in New York. We are also thinking of opening a free dental surgery for the disadvantage in Harlem since we are making so much money from our other operations. What do you think?" Emma said.

"I think Harlem might not be the right place to set-up a free dental clinic. If my future memories are correct, major riots hit that area in 1995," Hermione said.

"Maybe the Bronx or Brooklyn then..," Emma suggested. "We can work it out later,"

"Other than that, I love the idea," Hermione said. "We will get Dobby to let you know when we have the time,"

"That sounds great," Emma replied.

Seeing that Grant and Sirius still had not returned to the room, Harry turned to Dan and asked "Are you enjoying entertaining?"

"Definitely," Dan said excitedly. "We have been meeting a lot important people and rubbing shoulders with stars like Paul McCartney, Bono, and Bob Geldof,"

"Oh no, do not get him started again," Emma exclaimed.

"What is the matter, mum?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Your dad keeps boasting about Sting visiting our house," Emma replied.

"Well you know how much I love his music. At least I was not acting idiotic around that well-built actor," Dan said in jest.

"I have not acted like that in years," Emma replied with embarrassment.

"We got a bit drunk that night because we were running late and had to go to the function on an empty stomach. We will never ever go to one of those events hungry again as you can get drunk very easily," Dan said.

"At least we were not as bad as that guy at the UNICEF fund raiser who got so smashed that he starting puking before stripping to his underwear," Emma said as she laughed at the memory.

"How about that time, that man got so drunk he wrote a million pound cheque for the charity which thrilled the organisers until his wife informed them that he had only ten thousand pounds to his name,"

"I like that time those two drunken businessmen with trying to outbid each other at the celebrity auction. What was the final bid?"

"A hundred and fifty thousand pounds for a date with that cross dressing D-lister," Dan and Emma then burst out laughing. Harry and Hermione enjoyed the stories that Dan and Emma told about the functions they attended and the important people they have meet.

"Have you made any progress with developing a working relationship with the constabulary?" Harry asked.

"I have been able pass on the names and locations of quite a few drug dealers and some drug couriers. Since the information I have given them has so far been proven to be accurate I have been able to develop a friendship with the officers I able dealing with," Dan replied.

"Have you included Dudley's name in any of the information you provided so far?" Hermione asked.

"No. Not yet. Once I have established my credibility with the officers for a while longer then I will include Dudley," Dan replied.

"Okay," Hermione replied. Sirius and Grant then came back into the room with a secretive look on their face.

"Something came up and we need to go," Sirius announced.

"Okay. See you later," Emma said. Grant and Sirius said their farewells before leaving.

"We should go too," Harry said before he and Hermione made their exit.

As they made their way back to Hogwarts, Harry turned to Hermione and said.

"We still have not gotten Molly back for what she did to us,"

"You are right," Hermione said.

"We should do something to her right now. We are already out of Hogwarts," Harry suggested.

"Alright," Hermione said as they began planning their revenge on Molly. When they were done, they portkeyed to the Burrow under the invisibility cloaks that Dobby got them. Once there, they found Molly in the Kitchen with the rest of the house empty. Hermione hypnotised Molly so that she could not cook. Harry then used the elder wand to oblivate Molly of her cooking knowledge so that it looked like Dumbledore did it. It also made it impossible for them to reverse without Harry's help. After some diddling, he decided to remove Molly's potion making knowledge as well. They then copied all the cookbooks they could find because they used to enjoy Molly's cooking before they found out what she was doing. Both of them hoped that once they completed their revenge they could enjoy the recipes once more.

Once they finished copying all the cookbooks, Harry and Hermione took turns changing the recipes in the original cookbooks into recipes for the most disgusting food they could think of. It soon became a competition between the two of them as to who could create the worst dish. Hermione won by creating a lumpy overcooked anchovy soup topped with a Brussels sprout omelette served with eggplant and durian bread. The soup would be super salty and fishy while the omelette would taste awful with the strong bitter Brussels sprouts flavour. The worse thing would be the bread which would be slimy from the eggplant and stinky from the durian. They made it look like Molly fell down and knocked her head really hard. They then removed all evidence that they were at the Burrow and headed back to Hogwarts. This revenge will hit Molly hard as she prided herself on her ability to cook.

As they were heading back to their dorms, Harry and Hermione checked the Marauders' Map to ensure that their coast was clear. They noticed that once again, Percy was in the restricted section of Hogwarts library.

"Dumbledore might have given the Weasley children greater access to the restricted section of the library due to their family's support of him," Harry speculated.

"It would explain why they do so well even though they are not that bright. They must be Dumbledore's spies in the Gryffindor dorms," Hermione said in agreement.

"It also explained why Percy was made Prefect even though no one, including most Professors, liked him," Harry added.

"I feel sorry for all people who missed out because of Dumbledore's favouritism," Hermione said.

"Do you think that might be the reason, Ron got the Prefect position over me?" Harry asked.

"It makes perfect sense as Ron was a pathetic Prefect. I had to cover for him constantly," Hermione replied.

Thank you for your reviews and my betas.


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The next morning, none of the Weasleys were at breakfast. Harry turned to Hermione and whispered, "I hope that the twins witnessed Molly's first attempt at cooking,"

"Don't be cruel to the twins; they are good people unlike the rest of their family. What I really wonder is if Ron, the human waste disposal unit, would like Molly's new cooking skills," Hermione whispered back while grinning and trying not to laugh.

"Well that would be easy to determine. If Ron comes back from the hols slimmer then we will know he was not thrilled by his mother's lack of cooking talents. If he has put on weight then he is fine with his mother's cooking," Harry replied.

"If he puts on weight it does not necessary mean he likes Molly's new recipes. It could mean that he is the only one who can stand her cooking so he finishes everyone's leftovers," Hermione suggested.

"I wonder what he would make of that award winning dish of yours," Harry said with a smile.

A little later the Great hall was bombarded by a flock of owls carrying newspapers. The owls dropped a newspaper in front of every student and teacher in the hall. Out of curiosity everyone opened the newspaper and read the headline.

DUMBLEDORE AND KARKAROFF CORRUPTING OUR CHILDREN

Under the headline there was a story about how biased the two headmasters were and detailed their criminal backgrounds. Beneath that there was a story about the newspaper. It was called the Liberty Action Version Newspapers or the LAV paper for short. The newspaper aimed to be a liberal media outlet providing accurate and verifiable stories to all of magical Europe. The newspaper was charmed so that the newspaper was in whatever language the reader wanted it to be in. They would report both magical and non-magical stories and will focus on corruption.

Harry enjoyed the pissed off looks on the faces of Dumbledore and Snape.

"I am surprised that Dumbledore and Snape are not confiscating the newspapers," Harry said.

"They would not dare to try. They both knew that if they did, then the newspaper will be pushed underground where it would get more traction than ever," Mandy said.

"What are the odds that Dumbledore will change the wards so that the newspaper cannot get into the school?" Harry asked.

"You can be almost guaranteed he would try to do so. Anyway, he cannot ward against the newspaper," Penny supplied. "He would have to ward against the senders of the newspaper otherwise private letters and the Daily Prophet would also be affected. This would cause an uproar that even he could not hope to survive,"

The conversation turned to speculation on who produced the newspaper and how they could afford to do so. Harry turned to Hermione and whispered.

"This has to be what Sirius and Grant was discussing last night. The newspaper is certainly Sirius style,"

"I agree, Sirius must have gotten sick of his inability to buy the existing newspapers so he decided to create his own," Hermione replied.

"He must be using the money we are stealing from the drug trade to finance it," Harry said.

"He must be. The cost of the operation must be extremely high. A printing press alone cost more than a good size house. To print enough copies for the entire magical European community would require multiple printing presses. When you consider the ink, paper, delivery costs, reporters and the charms on the newspaper, ever single issue must be costing a fortune,"

"I hope it is worth it,"

"I wonder if they will have it as a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly newspaper,"

"We should soon find out,"

The next day, another issue of the newspaper arrived to the surprise of Dumbledore and the disappointment of Snape. The Weasleys that were all absent yesterday was back today. Harry and Hermione approached the twins after breakfast.

"We missed you yesterday," Harry said.

"Were you missing our divine presence?" Fred said in jest.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked.

"Our mother had a little accident. She is fine now but they took her to St Mungo's to run some tests just to be safe," George replied.

"Are you guys staying here during the holidays?" Hermione asked.

"We were going to stay at Hogwarts but our parents changed their mind due to all the issues our brother, Ron and our little sister, Ginny, had this term. Are the two of you going to be staying at Hogwarts during this festive season?" Fred asked.

"We are both going home. Is someone going to be staying around to mind your operations while you are gone?" Harry asked.

"Lee lost the coin toss with Colin. So he is staying here to mind our operations while we are gone. Did you know we have started selling our joke merchandise via owl now?" George said excitedly.

"That is great. How is it going?"

"It going alright because our range is limited. Once we have the time to expand our range then we expect the business to do better," Fred replied.

"Is the joke shop separate from our joint operation?" Hermione asked as she wanted to invest in their joke shop.

"It is part of our joint operation since we lack the start-up capital to go on alone so are using it to get our supplies," George assured Hermione.

"If you are looking for test subjects, I volunteer your brothers, Ron and Percy," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

"We are already using them as our test subjects," Fred replied.

"Have they complained to your parents?" Hermione asked.

"Ron tried after we gave him one of our puking pastels but as long as there are no long term side effects. Our parents are willing to back us up since our family desperately needs the money," George said. Lee then approached the twins to tell them something.

"We got to go. See you later," George said.

"See you two later. Give Ron a few extra puking pastels from us," Harry said in farewell.

"Let us see Myrtle and find out what Dumbledore has been up to," Hermione suggested.

"Okay," Harry replied as they made their way to the third floor. They found Tippy chatting with Myrtle.

"So how do you like your new quarters?" Hermione asked after greetings were exchanged.

"It is great, much quieter and more private than our previous location," Myrtle replied.

"I like it as well. It is a lot better smelling than the toilets," Tippy replied.

"What has our troublesome headmaster been up to?" Harry asked.

"A lot of different things but the majority of his time is spent on investigating the various incidents that have occurred this year like the snakes in the Great Hall, the prank on Filch, and the threatening message on the wall. The ministry has overloaded him with paperwork in order to satisfy them that he is doing everything he can to get Hogwarts in order," Myrtle replied.

"Is he making any progress in identifying the culprits behind the various pranks?" Harry asked.

"No. It is funny to watch as people ask that same question to him. He loses that twinkle in his eyes and it becomes slightly manic. His face becomes red as the frustration of the situation overcomes him," Myrtle replied with a grin.

"What else has he been doing?"

"He has continued Neville's training. Ever since the snake incident in the Great Hall, Ron has been excluded from the training. It seems that Neville's grandmother. Augusta Longbottom has forbidden her grandson from associating with a potential Dark Lord in the making like Ron due to his ability to speak to snakes. Even though Dumbledore made assurances that Ron was not going dark, Augusta still refused to back down. Recently Dumbledore had to deal with the fallout associated with Lockhart accidentally removing the cartilage from Draco and Ron's noses. Lucius was adamant that Lockhart be punished for what he did but Dumbledore refused as he claimed that it was a simple mistake on Lockhart's part,"

"Who put the listening charms in our trunks?"

"Dumbledore asked Snape to do it. Snape was ecstatic at the prospect of listening in on your private conversations and learning about your secrets. But he became extremely angry after you moved the charms to the girls toilet. Listening to girls use the toilet while hoping to catch something useful was not what he imagined he was going to have to do.

After a half a day he stormed into the Headmaster's office and refused to listen any more. They got into an argument since Dumbledore was pissed off at Snape for not hiding the listening charms better. In the end, Snape was forced to back down but he only agreed to check the listening charms occasionally," Myrtle reported. Hermione already started imagining different bits of false information they could pass to Snape using this method.

"Is there anything we should watch out for?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore is trying to convince Lockhart to organise a duelling club. He is planning something with Snape in regards to the club but I was unable to find out what," Myrtle reported with her sense of disappointment clearly evident.

"That is a great help, thank you Myrtle," Harry said.

Once Harry and Hermione were alone once more, Harry said.

"I think Dumbledore wants to publically reveal the fact that I am a parselmouth as well. This way he can take the attention away from the youngest Weasleys,"

"I agree. Should we avoid the club or use it against him?" Hermione asked.

"I think we should use it against him. Using the pain numbing spell and brittle bone spell worked really well. Maybe we can use it again?" Harry suggested.

"During my reading, I came across a spell that might be useful. It is a berserker spell that makes people extremely aggressive for a short period of time," Hermione said.

"I remember that spell. It is used during battles to make timid giants like Hagrid into ferocious fighters. The only problem would be that innocent students might get hurt," Harry said.

"You can offer to set up duelling ward. That way no one can get hurt but the professors," Hermione suggested.

"Then how are you going to hit them with the spells if you are outside the duelling wards?" Harry asked.

"I guess I will have to be within the wards but under an invisible coat," Hermione replied. Before Harry say something else, she continued by saying. "Don't worry. It would be easy for me to avoid them,"

They then started planning what they were going to do in detail. The next day at dinner, Dumbledore announced the establishment of the Duelling Club.

"Who do you think is going to be in charge of the club?" Mandy asked.

"I hope it is Professor Flitwick. I heard he was a duelling champion before he came to Hogwarts," Harry said.

"I hope it is not Professor Lockhart because he is hopeless," Kevin said.

"He is not hopeless Professor Lockhart just cannot teach. He is more of an action man rather than a teacher," Lisa said in defence of Lockhart.

"If you believe that, then you would believe anything," Padma said.

"Imagine if it was Professor Snape who was in charge. He would torture all the students that were not from Slytherin," Michael Corner added.

"Is anyone going?" Mandy asked. Most of their Ravenclaw house mates said they were attending out of curiosity.

"I think I better go or else Dumb as a Dork will make the club compulsory," Harry replied when Mandy looked to him for his answer.

"Why do you think Dumbledore will make it compulsory if you don't go?" Anthony asked.

"I think Dumbledore would want to see what I can do in a duel. The duelling club is the best way to do it," Harry replied.

"Are you going, Hermione?" Mandy asked.

"No, I don't think so. Being used as a pincushion is not my idea of a good time," Hermione replied.

On Thursday evening, just before the Duelling club started, Hermione got under her invisible coat and snuck into the room where the Duelling club was being held. As people started coming in, Hermione stayed at the back of the room near the raised platform. When Harry walked in, Hermione saw that he was wearing his dress robes indicating he was ready and she brushed against him to tell him she was ready.

When Lockhart entered the room, there were quite a few disappointed faces. A few people sneaked away as soon as they saw Snape enter. Hermione followed Lockhart as he walked up onto the duelling platform to the sound of snickering which did not fray him one bit. When Snape walked up onto the stage, the snickering from the audience was toned down significantly until a Gryffindor announced. "Introducing Mr and Mrs Snape," to the amusement of the entire audience. Snape then intensified his scowl which shut the audience up.

While Lockhart started talking, Hermione hit both professors with the pain numbing spell and then the brittle bone curse. Just before they began their duel, Harry spoke up.

"Do you mind if I try putting up your duelling wards so that the audience does not get hurt?" Harry asked.

"I doubt we will need it but you can go ahead and try if you wish," Lockhart said smugly.

Harry then started constructing the duelling ward with the Elder Wand which he disguised as his normal wand. While he was doing that, Hermione hit both professors with the Berserker spell. Once Harry was done constructing the duelling wards, he hid the Elder Wand in a secret pocket in his robes.

The fight began with both Professors yelling out Expelliarmus. Snape spell hit Lockhart throwing him backwards disarming him in the process. Lockhart's spell missed by a great margin but Hermione silently sent her own disarming spell that threw Snape back and disarmed him. Both professors shook their heads after colliding with Harry's duelling wards. They then charged each other and started throwing punches left, right and centre. Blood was splattered all over the floor. The sound of punches connecting was driving the crowd into a frenzy of cheering. A few students tried to stop the fight but the ward prevented them. Harry was asked to take down the wards which he tried to do with his normal phoenix wand without success. Several older students tried as well with the same result.

Lee Jordan decided that the fight needed commentary so he cast a Sonorus spell on himself.

"Welcome to Snape's Family Feud Round One. Our contestants today are Professor Severus Snape, also known as Mr Snape, versus Professor Gilford Lockhart, otherwise known as Mrs Snape.

Lockhart then hit Snape with a round house. Snape then taunted Lockhart by saying he hit like a girl. This enraged Lockhart who charged right into a Snape right hook. Lockhart was still able to bring Snape down. They were now both on the floor together. Both of them were trying to get on top. Lockhart ended up on top and had started to punch Snape face with both hands. Snape then kneed Lockhart in the groin. He must have let Lockhart get on top so that he could use his knee. That was a good move on Snape's part and Lockhart rolled off him and he fell to the side holding his family jewels.

Snape was now banging Lockhart's head against the floor. Lockhart responded by pulling Snape's hair and saying "If you say I hit like a girl then I am going to start fighting like one and see how you like it," They now pulled each other's hair. It looked like they were both having trouble maintaining a grip due to the amount of hair products in use. Snape was first one to get free as he was not known as the Greasy Git for nothing. Lockhart now started scratching at Snape's eyes and Snape has let go of Lockhart's hair to protect his face. This was the opportunity Lockhart was looking for as he has punched Snape in the family jewels. Snape went down and Lockhart kneed Snape again more forcefully.

The cavalry arrived in the form of Professor Flitwick and Lee Jordan signed off on this lovers tiff.

The professor scanned the wards and was surprised by their strength. Flitwick then organised Harry and some of the older students to simultaneously perform the spell to bring down the duelling wards. It worked allowing Flitwick to stun the two professors to end the fight.

He then announced "The fun is over. Everyone back to your dorms," The students reluctantly left to go back to their rooms. Hermione left before Dumbledore arrived as his glasses could see through her invisible coat. As Harry was leaving, Healer Chapman had arrived.

A/N Lav in Australia is a slang term for toilet. Down under newspapers are also known as shit rags (another name for toilet paper). It is a bit convoluted but I can imagine Sirius liking the joke. I was going to call it the Bogroll but decided that the British would not take the newspaper seriously.

Thank you for your reviews.

Sorry for the delay. Just a warning, the release of my next chapter is also likely to be delayed.

Thank you for reading my little story. If people want to write their own fanfiction stories with ideas from here they are more than welcome.

Fury074 asked me about the Healer Poppy. In my draft version of chapter 33, I wrote about how she was forced to leave Hogwarts which I realise I did not include in the final version. At some later stage I will update Chapter 33 to include Healer Poppy.


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Lockhart and Snape were kept in the infirmary for a few days to recover from the fight. When they were let out, students would snicker everywhere they went. The two professors avoided each other whenever they could. In the corridors and in the Great Hall, Lockhart was often referred to as Mrs Snape, and whenever he heard this Lockhart's smile would slip a little. No one dared to say anything to Professor Snape but the Professors not aligned with Dumbledore were known to ask the question. "How are your family jewels?" Resulting in all the nearby students laughing. Snape's usual response was to deepen his frown before either taking points off a nearby student or walking away in huff.

The LAV paper then caught wind of the story and did an entire expose of the Snape, Dumbledore and Lockhart relationship. They portrayed the three of them in a love triangle with Lockhart in the middle using the rumours as its source. Since defamation did not exist in the magical world, the three of them just had to take it on the chin. The photos of the fight between Lockhart and Snape taken by Colin gave the story some much needed credibility.

As a result of the article, Colin conducted a roaring trade in fight memorabilia. His most popular item was a range of posters depicting different stages of the fight. Harry and Hermione both got one of everything in the collection. A popular pastime leading up to the festive season were students trying to get Professor Snape or Lockhart to sign the memorabilia. The Holy Grail was getting both professors to sign the same item. Professor Lockhart was easy since all you had to do was temporarily transfigure the memorabilia to show a smiling Lockhart for him to sign it. Getting Snape to sign it as well was extremely difficult for most students. Harry and Hermione did not have a problem since they would just hypnotise Snape to get him to sign their entire collection.

An investigation was launched with Professor McGonagall in charge. Professor Dumbledore wanted to be in charge but the board of governors overruled him saying that he already had enough open investigations to deal with. Harry was one of the first people they interviewed. The interview was conducted by Professor McGonagall with Professor Flitwick present to protect Harry's interests. He was found partly responsible for prolonging the fight and was given a week's worth of detention for his part. Harry served them with Snape where he got the Professor to sign all the memorabilia. It would have been longer if Professor McGonagall had her way but Professor Flitwick pointed out that Harry was trying something new with Professors present. While the explanation/excuse that was given for the difficulty in removing the ward was put down to Harry accidentally creating permanent duelling wards rather than temporary ones like he should have. Most of the students were hoping the professors got suspended for the fight, especially Professor Snape, but instead they were both fined one month's pay and given a warning by the Board of Governors.

Dumbledore had requested that the end of term be pushed forward so that the Professors could assist him in the investigation of the various incidents. This request was approved by the school's board and even the Ministry of Magic supported the change. So Hermione's research timetable was knocked out of whack by the decision.

In the final week of term, Harry and Hermione were frantically researching different things in preparation for the holidays. Hermione was checking Harry's suggested adjustments to the magic detection grid used by the British Ministry of Magic. The adjustments would transfer control over the grid to the Grangers without the knowledge of the Ministry. While Harry was working on fine tuning the plans that he and Hermione had made for expanding the Chamber of Secrets. Their friends knew to avoid Hermione when she was this focus. After Hermione yelled at one of them for a solid twenty minutes for disturbing them.

On the Hogwarts Express back to Kings Cross station, Daphne and Tracy entered the cabin occupied by Harry, Hermione and their friends.

"I am Daphne Greengrass and this is Tracy Davis," Daphne said in introduction.

"We know who you are. What do you want?" Harry asked.

"Can we speak to Hermione alone?" Daphne asked. Harry and their friends looked at Hermione who indicated they should go. So they left Hermione alone with Daphne and Tracy.

"Can I help you with something?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"How are all your friends getting better grades than us?" Daphne asked.

"We work together and study hard," Hermione replied.

"That cannot be it. We are studying twice as hard as many of your friends yet they are getting better grades than us," Daphne said.

"Are you accusing us of cheating?" Hermione asked in an even tone since she despises people calling her a cheat.

"Maybe, Let us attend your study sessions if you have nothing to hide," Daphne said smugly.

"No way. You are not going to blackmail your way into my study group," Hermione said angrily.

"You do have something to hide which is why you won't let us join. I think I will talk to Professor Snape about after the break," Daphne said happily as their plan appeared to be working.

"Both of you please get out before I do something that you will regret," Hermione said in total fury.

Daphne and Tracy were so scared they ran out the cabin. Harry and their friends rushed back in to see what happened. They found a very angry Hermione.

"Are you alright?" Lisa asked.

"Yes," Hermione said as she tried to calm down.

"What did they want?" Harry asked.

"They accused us of cheating. If I allowed them to into our study group then they would let it go. But since I refused, they are going to claim we are cheating and take it to Professor Snape," Hermione replied resulting in everyone in the cabin to become outraged.

"Maybe you should allow them into our study group. Since we are so far ahead and they don't know any mind arts, they would be lost halfway through the first session," Harry suggested.

"The session could be on polyjuice since the potions we created are almost ready. You could use them as test subjects," Padma suggested.

"Have a class on Human to animal transfigurations. Then turn them into dung beetles. " Isobel suggested.

"DADA session. They probably know only stingers and simple jinxes while we can hit them with banishment spells. Daphne and Tracy would end up being target practice the entire session," Mandy suggested

"Care of Magical Creatures. Let them try to deal with a dragon by themselves,"

Hermione started laughing at the suggestions which spurred her friends on. Things were taken too far when someone suggested that they leave Daphne and Tracy alone with 20 dementors and 20 Boggarts. Their friends then moved on to other subjects while Harry and Hermione listened. Once the focus of the group was away from them, Harry said to Hermione.

"Can you believe the audacity of Daphne and Tracy?" Harry said.

"We thought that having the purebloods on our side would stop this from happening," Hermione said.

"If I remember correctly, the Greengrasses and the Davises were not pureblood supremacists. They are considered as independents who are more interested in protecting their commercial interests and their social standing rather than anything else," Harry said as he recalled the political analysis of the Wizengamot he received from Sirius.

"I think I see where you are going. Our operations are destroying their family businesses so to maintain their stature within society the girls would need to enter into favourable betrothal arrangements," Hermione said. She used the knowledge that she obtained while researching ways to protect Harry from the Weasleys and Dumbledore.

"I wonder how they arrange those betrothal contracts," Harry said. He imagined an auction where pureblood daughters are brought out one at a time before the parents of bachelors. Bids were then made by the parents like a live cattle auction.

"They attend balls where the girls, the bachelors and the parents mingle. The parents of the girls and the bachelors are on the lookout for the most suitable match. They would consider the wealth and stature of the family as the most important considerations. Then it comes down to age, intelligence and looks when deciding on candidates. Since Daphne and Tracy are in the middle of our year they would be considered as having average intelligence. They are probably aiming for the top eligible bachelors in Europe. That means they need to be seen as high achievers which at the moment they are not," Hermione explained.

"That reminds me I need to give you a betrothal ring. Otherwise your parents and Sirius will be overwhelmed by betrothal contracts," Harry said in jest. Hermione then punch Harry before continuing.

"As I was saying, their fourteenth birthday is coming up in a couple of years and in the Wizarding world that is when they will attend their first Debutante Ball. So they have limited time to improve their grades to show they are smart,"

"Maybe we can attack the most prominent Debutante Ball and take out a lot of the pureblood supporters in the process?" Harry suggested.

"That is a very bad idea. We will hurt a lot of innocent people and if we are discovered. Our cause will be pushed back by the neutrals and their remaining supporters. If we did attack the most important ball, which is the French Debutante Ball, then a lot the magical ministries in Europe will lose quite a few top level officials. Losing these officials would result in a power vacuum that the supremacist movement can take advantage of," Hermione explained.

"Okay," Harry said. Deciding a change of topics was in order. "Maybe we should let them into our study group,"

"No. I will not give in to blackmail. In fact, I would rather cancel a few group study sessions then let them in. Besides, once Sirius comes back then our political power will be so strong that they would not dare do anything to piss us off. We did not get into an agreement with the pureblood faction for nothing," Hermione said.

"If they do report us then I say we prank them to hell and back," Harry said.

"Agreed. In fact, we can prank them just for the threat." Hermione said as she does not like being called a cheat or being blackmailed.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. When they arrived at Kings Cross Station, Hermione ran into her parents' arms. She missed them even though she was able see them on a few occasions; but in comparison to last year when she was able to see them practically every weekend this was nothing. Her parents felt the same way as they hugged Hermione like their life depended on it. Then Emma pulled Harry into the hug as well so that he did not feel left out.

"We missed you two," Emma said while they were all still hugging.

"I missed you and dad too," Hermione replied.

Harry was the first to break from the hug and was quickly followed by Dan. Emma and Hermione still had their arms wrapped around each other as Dan lead their little group to a Bentley parked nearby. They were followed by 4 security guards that had both guns and wands. When they entered the Bentley, while the security guards entered the cars to the front and back of the Bentley.

"New car, Dad?" Hermione asked.

"Since we are trying to impress people so that they would do what we want them to do. It requires us to have a certain image so we would be taken seriously. Having a good car is part of the image. A Bentley sure as hell impresses small minded politicians," Dan replied.

"You just wanted a big boy's toy to show off to your mates," Emma added to the amusement of Harry and Hermione.

"What is with the security guards?" Hermione asked.

"We were scared that someone might make an attempt to assassinate Sirius at Kings Cross Station. That is why Sirius was not there. The security guards were there in case the assassination attempt turned into kidnapping in order to flush out Sirius," Emma replied. Hermione considered the answer and decided it was reasonable.

"What are we going be doing this holidays?" Harry asked.

"We were planning to give you tonight off to relax. Take two days for both of you to complete your homework and any other business you need to complete. The rest of the holiday will be family time including checking out our potential new homes and maybe visiting a theme park. I think both of you deserve a break after all the work you have been doing," Dan replied.

"What are you not telling us, Dad?" Hermione asked as she could tell her dad was hiding something.

"We are also hosting my extended family Christmas dinner this year," Dan replied.

"Was that supposed to be last year? If I remember correctly, the last get together was in 1986 at Uncle Jim's place and you said it was held every five years," Hermione recalled.

"You are correct, sweet pea. But last year we begged off because we were too busy. This year if we try to avoid it again. Grand-mum is going to tell me off pretty badly," Dan replied. Emma was observing Harry as he followed the conversation between Hermione and Dan. Harry was looking pale at the thought of meeting more family members, especially people who he did not know.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Emma asked finally.

"I am fine," Harry replied.

"You are not okay. You are looking a bit pale, maybe you should open a window," Emma suggested.

"I am just nervous about meeting more of your family," Harry replied honestly.

"There is nothing to be worried about. They will love you. Just be your normal sweet self. Besides they are your family as well," Emma said reassuringly.

"What are they like?" Harry asked a little less nervous.

"They are lovely people who love books like Hermione. Anyway, they will probably spend most of the time exploring our new house," Emma assured Harry. She then whispered to Harry, "Especially our new library. Don't tell Hermione, we really want to surprise her,"

"Will any of your relatives be there?" Harry asked.

"I am an only child and my parents have passed away already," Emma said a bit sadly.

"I am sorry," Harry said.

"It is alright, you did not know," Emma replied. "Anyway, I have you and Hermione now,"

"How about me?" Dan said in mock outrage.

"Yeah. You too, Monkeyface," Emma said playfully.

They reached the Granger home a little later. After an enjoyable dinner prepared by Dobby, Hermione dragged Harry down to the House-elf quarters. As soon as they entered, Harry and Hermione were bombarded with inquiries if they needed something. Once Hermione were able to reassure the house-elves that they did not need anything and that they were doing a good job, she was able find out how they were adjusting to the new environment. They all loved it but complained that there was not enough work. Satisfied, Hermione familiarised herself with the layout of the house by looking to see what changes they made since she had been at school.

When she came to the library, which she deliberately left for last, Hermione got a very pleasant surprise to see the library filled with books. Her parents who were hiding amongst the bookshelves then jumped in front of Hermione and yelled. "Surprise!"

"Is this my Christmas present?" Hermione asked once she recovered.

"No. We consider filling this library to be an essential part of the renovation of the house. Do you like it?" Dan explained.

"I love it," Hermione said as she hugged both of her parents. Harry stood back and enjoyed the moment.

"Go have a look around," Emma suggested. Hermione did not have to get another invitation. She started picking books off the shelves and looking at them. When Hermione picked up the books,

_Pride and Prejudice_ and _Wuthering Heights,_ Emma said. "We have a copy of all your favourite books,"

Harry tried to open a bookshelf which had glass doors only to discover it was locked. He turned to Emma and Dan with an inquiring look on his face.

"Alice has been putting aside any non-magical books she found. Among the collection she gathered there were a few first editions, limited editions, or otherwise rare books that we have been informed are very valuable. It is a great conversational starter at the events we hold," Dan replied. Satisfied Harry continued looking around. It took a long time to remove Hermione from the library that night.

A/N I created the other Granger family members because I am going to use them later on in my story.

Thank you for reading my story. Sorry for the delay.

This story appears in over a hundred communities, a thousand members have put this story in their Favourites and another thousand has alerts for this story. I hope you enjoyed this story so far.

I have close to a thousand reviews. Thank you to all the people who wrote reviews to this story. They keep me writing.


	49. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Early the next morning, Harry got up to discover Hermione missing from her room. He snuck down the stairs to the library and found Hermione sleeping in her pjs with a book in her lap.

"She must have come back down after we had all gone to bed," Harry thought.

Deciding not to wake her, Harry started preparing for the day. After eating breakfast, he checked on her again and found her still asleep. Deciding against waking her, Harry proceeded to the Chamber of Secrets alone.

The Chamber of Secrets was filled with people being trained on how to mine using magic. It was way bigger than the last time he was here. He stopped a guy who was walking past.

"Do you where Doug, the trainer, is?" Harry asked. The guy pointed to a partitioned off area.

"Thank you," Harry said as he walked towards where he was directed. The area turned out to be the mouth of the Slytherin statue only transfigured into an office environment. Doug was discussing something with three people that Harry did not recognise. As soon as Doug saw Harry, the three other people were dismissed.

"How are you, Harry? Long time, no see," Doug said in greeting.

"I have been well, focusing on my studies. What is happening here?" Harry asked looking around.

"This is my new job. For the last couple of weeks, I have been supervising the training program to instruct people in the magical way of mining. Previously, we had one big class but due to the demand of people wanting to work as magical miners during the festive season, we had to start holding training sessions around the clock. In fact, those three people who just left were our night shift trainers reporting out. The morning trainers have already been briefed and are now working,"

"How do you fit into this operation?" Harry asked.

"My role is to coordinate the three shifts of trainers and to ensure all students have signed the confidentiality agreement before they are taught anything. Finally I ensure any improvements in the techniques that are discovered at the sites are passed on to the new students," Doug said.

"How do you like it?"

"I enjoy the job but wish I was a miner, making more money," Doug replied honestly.

"I see what I can do about getting you a pay raise or at least into a incentive plan," Harry said as he noticed that Doug was less cheeky and greedy than he was previously.

"Thank you. That would be brilliant. So what can I do for you today?" Doug asked. Harry then explained what he and Hermione wanted done to the chamber of secrets using an updated map that Doug had created.

"It should not be a problem. I will contact the hunters and coordinate with them," Doug said finally.

"So how long do you think it is going to take?" Harry asked.

"It should not take too long especially if we use the students to do most of the work. I will guess a couple of weeks at most,"

"You have that many students?" Harry asked incredibly.

"We have a lot of students. Most of them have regular jobs but the opportunity to make a lot of money during their holiday period was just too great. We have people from all walks of life training to be miners including a lot of scholars. They quickly realised that if they worked as much as they could during this festive period, they could fund their academic passions for the rest of the year. Especially when you consider the high interest deposit accounts you provide employees,"

"How are we finding that many people?" Harry asked.

"Do you remember the improvements to the US magical ministry's detection grid?" Doug asked.

"Yes,"

"We have done similar updates in other advanced countries like Australia, Singapore, Japan, and others. It has been identifying at least 15 new magicals every single week. This is making the after hours classes at the Granger Institute extremely popular. I heard that they are building extra classrooms to fit everyone in,"

"I did not know that. Thank you for letting me know. I will let you get back to work," Harry said as he left.

When he arrived back at the Granger Residence, everyone was up including Hermione.

"Where have you been?" Emma asked after they exchanged greetings.

"I was organising the renovations to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said casually, pissing off everyone in the room.

"Care to elaborate?" Dan asked in a threatening manner. Harry then informed them of what he did and what he found out.

"Are you going to be doing your homework now?" Emma asked.

"We did our homework already," Hermione replied.

"What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?" Emma asked.

"We have a job for Jake since Doug is not available and we want to meet Grant tomorrow to discuss a few things," Hermione replied.

"I will organise the meeting with Grant for you," Emma offered.

"Thank you mum," Hermione said as she hugged her mother.

After Emma left for work and Dan started on preparations for his family's visit, Harry and Hermione went to the Black Manor. The house had been converted into the Headquarters for their British Operation. It had been fully renovated and it looked nothing like it did originally. They found Jake quite easily as he was supervising the import/export business. As soon as he saw them, he organised someone to take over so that he could talk to the pair of them.

"You are working here, now?" Harry asked.

"After sorting the stuff from Dumbledore's house and Room of Requirement, I started supervising this operation," Jake informed them.

"How is it going?" Hermione asked.

"It is going well. The Magical Indians are constantly trying to get a cut of the action but we refused them every time. Meanwhile we are desperately trying to enter the Chinese markets but their magical community is deliberately isolated from the rest of the world,"

"Why are you refusing entry to the Magical Indians?"

"Their society is divided by class like no other. Our company is all about equality. How can we justify operating in a society like that?"

"We would do this by starting our own operations and ignoring the establishment there. That way we provide an alternative and maybe an escape route from the prejudice that they experience in their own country," Hermione suggested.

"Do you have any suggestions for China?" Jake said hopefully.

"I would suggest that we increase our operations in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has lots of connections to mainland China so it is practically a back door into China. Taiwan is also good but political tensions in the region make it not as an attractive an option," Hermione explained.

"I thought that Singapore was that," Jake said.

"Well that is the image Singapore tries to portray to the world. But Singaporeans find it hard to operate in China even though a lot of Singaporeans can speak Mandarin (which is the official language of China). The reason is that mainland Chinese considers Singaporeans up themselves. China also treats Singaporeans as outsiders which is not a problem for people from Hong Kong or Taiwan," Hermione gave her opinion.

"Do you want me to talk to Grant and pass on your suggestions?" Jake asked.

"Don't worry about it; I will bring it up tomorrow when we see him. Anyway, the reason why we were here looking for you is that we have a job for you. That is if they can manage here without you,"

"They can get someone to cover me quite easily. What is the job?"

"The job is to take over the British Ministry of Magic's detection grid," Hermione declared.

"You can do that?" Jake said incredibly.

"You will do it with our help," Harry said as he pulled out a map. "This map shows the location of all the ward stones used to generate the detection grid. What we need you to do is adjust the runes on the ward stones in a manner which we will show you," Harry said as he pulled a replicate of the ward stones and then demonstrated the changes they needed.

"What will these changes do?" Jake asked.

"It will tie the entire grid to the ward stone in the Black Manor and onto this map," Hermione said as she pulled a map of Britain she had with a lot of runes already applied on the back. "Every accidental magic use, every unforgivable, apparition, portkey and etc. will appear on this map. I have charmed a quill to record everything that appears on the map,"

"Who is going to monitor it?" Jake asked. Not looking forward to the dull work of monitoring the activity on the map.

"I thought we will give that duty to Sirius and his reporters to watch the map and the quill reports," Hermione said, much to the relief of Jake.

"By the way, we having each of the ward stones put under a Fidelius charm," Harry added.

"Who is going to be the secret keeper?" Jake asked.

"Dobby will be the secret keeper. The locations will be GPS coordinates since I doubt the purebloods will understand what GPS coordinates are. If a pureblood wizard got hold of the list of GPS coordinates that Dobby will create, they probably would not know what the numbers mean," Harry said.

"This is going to take quite a lot of time since there are so many ward stones that I will need to change," Jake said.

"We realise that, so why don't you get started now while we can help you?" Harry suggested as they left to tackle the first ward stone. The rest of the day was spent on adjusting the ward stones near their various British based operations.

The next day, Emma accompanied Harry and Hermione to the meeting with Grant. Emma was there for two reasons, Grant will not brush off their suggestions with Emma present and the parents of Hermione wanted to know what their two charges were doing.

"So how can I help you fine folks today?" Grant said in a fake Texan accent after everyone exchanged greetings.

"That was pathetic," Hermione said light-heartedly.

"I was never really good at Drama," Grant admitted.

"Anyway, one of the reasons why I want to talk to you today is on a plan as to how we can avoid another incident like the one with the Goblins. I was thinking that we should try to establish an agreement with the Outcast Organisation to support our company," Hermione suggested.

"I am already ahead of you there," Grant announced. "In anticipation of the request, I spoke to Miles and several other senior officials of the Outcast Organisation about the possibility of an agreement,"

"What did they say?" Harry asked with interest.

"They would look favourably on such an arrangement if a guaranteed source of income was part of the deal. On that basis, I believe we can offer to provide that promise in exchange for their organisation using their political power and resources to help us achieve our goals,"

"I say we limit the agreement to 10 years with an option to extend after some further negotiations," Harry suggested.

"There should be provision to terminate early if certain objectives are achieved," Hermione added.

"If the agreement is terminated early then the funding will continue but will go directly to the school instead. That is what I am thinking," Grant suggested.

"I like it. If we believe that the Organisation is becoming too corrupt or they are not fulfilling their end of the bargain, then we will pull the funding from the political arm and provide it to the scholarship fund," Harry said.

"We need to ensure that we get first pick of the best graduates since we are providing the resources to train them," Hermione said.

"If we want that then we will need to offer them something in return," Grant said as he took notes.

"Could we help stabilise South America and push it towards the Outcast Movement ideals?" Harry asked.

"I don't know about South American but Central American probably, especially in Mexico. Our informants have already identified all the Active Dark Forces operating in Mexico. They operate as syndicates that get involved in a lot of illegal non-magical activity such as drugs, people smuggling, and arms trading. We now have a good enough relationship with the American Drug Enforcement Agency, that a joint operation to eliminate these syndicates could be possible. Once we have removed these dark elements in the Mexican Magical Society, the Outcast Organisation can go in and help establish a more equitable magical government," Grant explained.

"Offer to do that as part of the agreement as that should get us a lot of brownie points. We will probably have to establish quite a few new operations in Mexico to help their society recover and to assist the Outcast Movement," Hermione suggested.

"Speaking of agreements, could you organise an envoy to the Centaurs in the Forbidden Forrest? We are going to relocate the Acromantula colony from the Forbidden Forrest to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said.

"We can do it but why are you moving the Acromantulas into the Chamber of Secrets? The Acromantulas and the Basilisks are mortal enemies," Grant asked.

"There are a number of reasons, first is that the Basilisk can keep the Acromantulas under control and we will still have access to the various Acromantulas by-products. Another reason is that the Basilisk enjoys the taste of Acromantulas. The final reason is that we can get the Centaurs on our side when we negotiate with the Outcast Organisation," Harry explained.

"That sounds reasonable," Grant replied.

"Make sure you point of the blame for the Acromantulas threatening their homes on Dumbledore when you are negotiating with the Centaurs. That way, it separates us from not only the death eaters but Dumbledore as well," Hermione added.

"How can we blame Dumbledore for the Acromantulas?" Grant asked.

"Everyone in Britain knows that Hagrid is a close ally of Dumbledore and he was the one who released the original spider in the Forbidden Forrest. Dumbledore must have known about the spider colony when it was still manageable since Hagrid could not keep a secret if his life depended on it. The fact that Dumbledore did not take any action is what led to the rampant growth of the Acromantula colony," Hermione explained.

"He allowed an Acromantula Colony to be established near a school without taking any precautions. Is he crazy, irresponsible or plain stupid?" Grant exclaimed.

"All of the above," Harry replied. "By the way, is it possible for us to give Doug a raise?"

"So has he asked you as well?" Grant asked.

"Yes. Has he asked you already?" Harry said.

"Just about every single day. He alternates between asking for a raise and changing jobs to be a gold miner," Grant replied.

"I really thought he changed. What are we going to do about him?" Harry said.

"How about a small raise for everyone who works for him but exclude him?" Hermione joked.

"I like it," Grant said. "In fact, I would give him a note saying stop bugging me in an envelope similar to one everyone else gets informing them about their raise,"

"You know I was kidding?" Hermione said. "That would be just plain cruel. As long as he does his job well then we should not do stuff like that to him,"

"He does do a good job," Grant admitted. "To be able to handle two renovations at once was an amazing accomplishment even if the renovations that were done were magical in nature with a lot of assistance from other people,"

"I say we give him a small raise but a big bonus," Harry suggested.

"I agree," Hermione seconded.

"Okay. but I am still going to include that note saying to stop bugging me," Grant said.

"Your prerogative, moving on... What do you know about the new newspaper, LAV paper?" Hermione asked.

"That is Sirius's little baby. I don't know much but about it. All I know is that they had few equipment and supply issues which I helped deal with. If you want to know more then you will have to ask Sirius," Grant said.

"How about the funding for the newspaper?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. You have to ask your father about that since he approved their budget," Grant said. Hermione knew that her father did look at budget approvals. He admitted as much to her during one of their father and daughter discussions, especially in regards to the Charity operations.

"How is the rest of the business going?"

"Our existing businesses are doing well. Gold production is expected to sky rocket during the Christmas and New Year's period. In fact, we expect to produce enough gold to drive down the international gold price. We are looking at acquiring more gold mining companies but are holding off on any purchases until the gold price has dropped. We are already one of the top five gold mining companies in the world. Our plan is to become one of the top three gold mining companies by the end of the year,"

"Are we keeping large quantities of gold reserves?" Hermione asked.

"No. In fact we are slowly selling off the gold reserves that our recent acquisitions held,"

"What are you doing with the funds raised?" Harry asked.

"We are buying land around the world. But our biggest purchase so far is a large corridor of land in southern Australia which we are planning to convert into magical farming," Grant replied.

"Try to buy as much desert land as possible in Australia. The sands from the Simpson desert could be easily converted in the solar cells using magic," Hermione suggested.

"We should build desalination plants in those desert areas. Our solar cells can power it easily (the pumps and the refinement process) but we will need to buy coastal properties so that we can pipe sea water to from the open seas. In fact we should locate the inlets near sewage and drainage outlets. That way we can get free fertiliser for our farms," Harry suggested.

"Why do we need desalination plants when we can use magic to get water?" Grant asked.

"It will remove the suspicion of non-magicals about where we are getting the water for our farming operations. We could also sell water to other farmers for profit as well," Harry replied.

"We can conduct mining operations without anyone being any wiser since the mining waste can be hidden by the waste from the desalination plants. Once we finished the mining we can fill the mine with water so it looks like a natural underground water hole," Hermione suggests.

"Wouldn't that be stealing?' Emma added.

"Maybe we can negotiate with the original owners for mining rights. Offer to build them things like schools in return for the rights to mine on their lands. This would help ensure the corrupt politicians and officials do not profit from our activities," Hermione suggested as she knew how corrupt the mining industry was in Australia.

"Okay, that sounds reasonable," Emma said satisfied.

"How is the solar business going?" Harry asked.

"It is going well. We are selling quite a few units. But the main source of income from the business will be the maintenance fees which will grow in time," Grant replied.

"Is the solar business doing any deals with Enron?" Harry asked.

"Yes. They want to buy a lot of our solar units. Why did you ask?" Grant asked concerned.

"If we do any deals with Enron, make sure that the payment is only within 5 years and any maintenance contract is secured by the actual solar units themselves,"

"Is something wrong about Enron?" Grant asked concerned.

"Maybe..," Harry said.

"How about the logistics business?" Hermione said to try to change the topic.

"We have already reduced transportation costs by 5 percent and expect further savings as time progresses. This has already allowed us to reduce our fees in order to increase our market share. According to our analysts if we continue our current growth then we should be the biggest logistics company in the world next year," Grant replied.

"What is the general public's reaction to the growth of our business?" Hermione asked.

"Not many people know that you guys own so much. We use subsidiaries, investment vehicles and satellite companies to make the various purchases so hardly anyone knows how much wealth you guys have accumulated. As far as the public knows, you guys are extremely brilliant investors," Grant replied. Harry whispered to Hermione and said. "They think we are like Warren Buffett,"

"That is enough for now. Why don't we take a break?" Emma announced as she felt sorry for Grant. It was like an interrogation and Grant deserved a break.

"Do you mind if I leave and continue this discussion some other time?" Grant said hopefully.

"Okay. The urgent stuff has dealt with. We will owl you with any suggestions and questions we have. Please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year," Hermione replied backed up by Harry.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone," Grant replied before leaving quickly.

A/N. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Thank you to my reviewers.


	50. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The next morning Harry went down for breakfast and discovered everyone else already eating. He was greeted warmly by everyone as he got his food.

"What are we going to do today?" Harry asked after he started eating.

"Well, we were thinking about going shopping for Christmas presents this morning. Later on, we are holding a Christmas Lunch for some of the employees and close business associates like Miles," Emma replied.

"Make sure there is no alcohol served during the lunch. We don't want a repeat of last year," Harry said jokingly.

"There will be alcohol but only with the food and that is limited," Emma assured Harry.

"What are we doing after lunch?" Harry asked.

"A little break, since my relatives will start arriving tomorrow," Dan replied.

"Okay," Harry said as he continued eating his breakfast.

Later that afternoon, Harry and Dan dropped to the couch, exhausted after a full morning of shopping. Just as soon as their butts hit the couch, the doorbell rang.

"Can one of you boys please answer the door?" Emma yelled from the master bedroom.

Harry and Dan turned to each other.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors," Harry suggested. Dan nodded his head and they started playing rock, paper, and scissors to decide who would answer the door. Harry lost and was forced to get up and answer the door. It was Jake, Alice and her mum.

"Merry Christmas, please come in. Thank you for coming," Harry said as he led them to the room where Dan was resting.

"What would you like to drink?" Harry asked. After taking their orders, he left them to Dan to entertain as he got them their drinks. He deliberately got the drinks himself so that Dan would be forced to play host.

Harry carried the drinks back to the room where he struck up a conversation with Alice after giving everyone their drinks.

"So how do you like keeping Grant honest?" Harry asked since he heard that she was keeping an eye on Grant.

"I am not really keeping Grant honest... What I am doing is overseeing their internal audit department. They are the ones that keep the employees honest," Alice replied.

"Discover anything interesting?"

"Well I discovered how to create spells that would pass through magical shields like unforgivables,"

"How did you discover that?"

"I was reading a book about the origins of unforgivables, did you know the unforgivables were developed for medical purposes and are simply emotion fuelled spells? I found that any emotion based spell can bypass magical shields,"

"That is interesting. Did the book mention any counter spell or shields for the Unforgivables?" Harry asked.

"Not really but I will look into it for you. The only thing it did mention was a cleansing ritual that can help patients who have been over exposed to the Crucio curse," Alice replied. Harry immediately thought of Neville's parents. Deciding he was going to talk to Sirius, Hermione and her parents about what course of action they should take.

"What is book called and where did you get it?" Harry asked.

"The book is called Unforgivables and it was one of the books you recovered from Dumbledore's private stash," Alice replied.

"Who did you pass your discovery to?" Harry asked.

"I told Emma who passed it onto the Granger Institute to develop spells for our security teams. They have already developed quite a number of different emotion based spells. I heard they develop one that would castrate a guy and another one that would make someone experience the pain associated with giving birth." Seeing the look of fear on Harry's face. Alice quickly added. "Don't worry, the information is very well protected and will not be published anywhere."

"Can you make sure that Hermione and Emma never discover those two spells or a spell that would allow a guy to experience a woman's period?" Harry whispered to Alice. She smiled and said.

"I will try my best, but no guarantees,"

"Did you hear anything else interesting?" Harry asked trying to change topics.

"Did you know that we have been turning our security forces into Animagi?"

"I can understand why that would be a good idea. Having another form would be great for surveillance, escape and surprise attacks. I thought the costs of ingredients to make the animagus revealing potions were expensive,"

"They did not use potions. I believe they used some Native American ritual which is faster and more effective. The potion was just the Europeans attempt at duplicating the ritual using things they know," Alice explained.

"Were there any interesting forms?"

"There were a few gay men who had female animal forms. A few were disgusted with their forms while others loved their animals. They did discover that the stronger the person's magical core is at the time of the ritual, the stronger the form. One guy was a massive dragon, his core was supposed to be enormous since he has been fighting his entire life,"

"I wonder; what about young people whose cores have not yet mature yet?"

"Well, we believe that their form would be weaker than one they would get after their core matures. For example a person's form could be a Chihuahua when they were a child, during teenage years their form could be a golden retriever. At the peak of their magical powers, their form could be a hellhound. A few of the early recruits were disappointed when they found out and are now researching ways to obtain multiple forms or at least allow their form to evolve," Alice replied.

"Find out if squibs can become animagi as well. If they can become really small creatures due to the size of their magical core, then they would be perfect for surveillance or investigative reporting," Harry suggested.

"That is a brilliant idea. I will pass on your suggestion to Sirius," Alice said.

"Can you keep me in the loop as to what happens?" Harry asked.

"Sure can, Harry," Alice said as Doug arrived and went straight to the snack table accidentally bumping into Jake in the process.

"How do you like working with your parents?" Harry asked.

"I only work with my mother on copying books and that is not very often. Apart from that, our work does not really overlap," Alice replied.

"What is Emily doing now? Last I heard she was involved in teaching the miners how to mine the magical way,"

"I believed that she has moved onto developing Vanishing Cabinets that are constructed with fewer rare substances. She has made quite a bit of progress but you have to ask her. She is spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement but, why I don't know," Alice replied. The conversation then went on to more general matters.

A little later, Hermione asked Emma. "Where is Ashley, was she not invited?"

"She was invited but she could not come. Ever since she moved to the new school, she has been busy all the time brewing new potions, training her new apprentices, or writing articles to submit to potion journals," Emma replied.

"She moved?" Hermione asked.

"Did I not tell you?" Emma asked. "She moved over a month ago. When the Black Manor was ready, she was offered a potion lab there or at the Granger Institute. Ashley decided to move to the Granger Institute,"

"What else has happened?" Hermione asked.

"Well the Black Manor has been turned into the Headquarters for our British operations," Emma said.

"I have already seen the renovated place, anything else?" Hermione asked.

"Our old home has been renovated and turned into a massive library," Emma said which caused Hermione's eyes to light up.

"We will make sure to visit the library sometime during these holidays," Emma assured Hermione.

"So, nothing really new..," Hermione said.

"We started our application for residency in the US,"

"That is something new. How long will it take?"

"Since we are well off and our biggest company is sponsoring our application, they say it should take a few months. It should definitely be ready by the time we are ready to move,"

"Including Harry?"

"Of course, as if we will leave him behind. Your Dad and I are growing quite fond of Harry not as much as you, of course. We would miss him if he was gone," Emma said. The conversation then turned to the houses they were interested in America.

Early the next day, Dan's brother, his sister-in-law, and their two children arrived. They were greeted at the door by Dan.

"Great house you got here, Danny," Dan's brother said as his family entered the house. "Did you win the lottery or something?"

"No. Emma and I inherited some money from an eccentric patient and we had some success investing the money," Dan said. Keeping to the story they made up for the authorities.

"Maybe I should invest some money with you since you seem to be doing so well," Dan's brother said.

"We can talk about it later. Why don't we see Emma and the kids?" Dan said.

"Kids? I thought you only had Hermione,"

"We adopted a well-off classmate of hers that was an orphan. I told you on the phone when I gave you directions to this place,"

"Sorry, I forgot," Dan's brother replied. His wife had an outraged look on her face.

"You did not tell me about the new nephew," His wife said. "We don't have a present for him,"

"I would not really worry about that. It will be fine. Get someone during the Boxing Day sales if you want. By the way, his name is Harry Potter; in fact that is his family crest over there," Dan said as he pointed out the Potter crest. "Try to avoid to asking too much about his parents or why he was up for adoption. It is quite a sensitive topic for him,"

"Okay," Everyone said as they walked into the Dining Room.

"Harry, I would like to introduce you to my big brother, Robert Granger, his wife, Shirley Granger and his two children, Bryce and Amy," Dan said. "Robbie, I would like to introduce you to Harry Potter, our new son,"

"Welcome to the family, Harry. Call me Rob, everyone else does," Dan's brother said.

"Nice to meet you too, Sir," Harry said uncertainly.

Remembering what Dan said earlier, Rob asked.

"How is school?"

"Good. I am in second year, in the same school as Hermione,"

"Can you tell me anything about the school? Dan is very secretive about the school," Robert said.

"Sorry I cannot say much about the school since a lot of diplomats and senior government officials send their children to there. I can say it is very exclusive and they don't like outsiders knowing about the school," Harry replied using the lie as instructed by Hermione. "What do you do?"

"I am an Aeronautical Engineer, which basically means I fix planes," Rob replied.

"How about your wife and children?"

"Shirley is a certified practicing accountant at Ernest & Young. While my two children are attending Atterton High School, Amy is sitting for her GCSE this year and Bryce is sitting the Cambridge Pre-U and is hoping to get into Oxford,"

"Why don't I show you to your rooms before I show everyone around the place," Dan said as he led them to the rooms near the Master Bedroom.

"Do you want period features or modern conveniences in your rooms?" Emma asked.

"Whatever is more convenient?" Shirley replied.

"Makes no difference to us..," Emma said.

"Why don't we look at both before deciding?" Shirley suggested. They were first lead to a bedroom with period fixtures and fitting including plumbing. The group looked interested in the room but was not really thrilled by the bathroom. Next they were shown a room near the Master Bedroom which had a modern bathroom and great views of the country side.

"We will take this one," Robert said.

"This is place is better than some five star hotels we have been to. How about Amy and Bryce?" Shirley said as she began inspecting the room.

"They can stay in identical rooms over there," Emma said as she pointed to two rooms further away from the Master Bedroom. Amy and Bryce both rushed to the indicated rooms with their luggage. After Bryce drops his bags in one of the rooms, he goes to the other room.

"Do you want to swap?" Bryce asks.

"Why?" Amy said suspiciously.

"You have to study so it would be wasting such great views for you to stay in this room," Bryce said.

"You have to study as well. I am fine with this room," Amy said to the disappointment of Bryce. "What are your views anyway?"

"My room looks out to the garage," Bryce said as they go back to their parents' room.

"Does this place have a pool?" Robert asked.

"There is one outside. I will show it to you when we tour the gardens," Dan replied. The tour of the house began with the remaining bedrooms. It was followed by the ground floor skipping the library as Dan knew that he would have trouble getting them to leave the library once they saw it.

"I am going to show you to the kitchen. Due to the sensitivity of the equipment in here I request that you stay away from this room for the remainder of your stay," Dan said as he led the group into the kitchen. The kitchen looked the same as before but there was a computer on a stand near the dumbwaiter. Neither Harry and Hermione had noticed before. Dan led them to the computer and the dumbwaiter.

"This piece of equipment is very delicate and expensive. What you do is enter what you want into this computer and after a little while you use this dumbwaiter to get the food?" Dan explained. He and Emma decided this was the ruse they were going to use to explain the speed in which the food arrives.

"Can I see the machine that does this?" Robert said with interest.

"It is proprietary knowledge at this point. The company makes the machine sends out people to regularly service it and is also responsible for filling the machines with foodstuffs. We don't even know what the machine looks like. So please don't try to have a look at the machine as they are extremely secretive and we don't want to lose the service," Dan explained.

"Okay. I will promise not to try to look at it. This must cost a fortune to run,"

"Our investments are doing extremely well. Plus we hold parties to defray the cost of the service," Dan replied. Dan then changed the subject by saying. "Did you know that Sting has been to this house?"

This lead to discussions after the events that have been held at this house and the people that Dan and Emma have met. The conversation about the house continued as they toured the grounds that surrounded the house. Robert and his family were shell shocked by the beauty of the gardens. The conclusion of the tour was the indoor heated pool.

"This place must cost a fortune to run. The electrical bill alone must be enormous," Robert said.

"Do you remember the solar panels I showed you earlier?" Dan said.

"Yes," Robert replied.

"They supply enough electricity for the entire neighbourhood. In fact, we have an agreement with our neighbours where they get free electricity in return they help maintain and clean the place. Most lack the time so they pay for a service to clean the house instead," Dan lied.

"Those little panels provide that much electricity?" Robert said incredibly.

"Yes. That was one of our most successful investments the company that makes those cells. I believe that in a few years those cells are going to take over the power generation market," Dan said proudly.

"I really should talk to you about investing," Robert said.

"We can talk about it later," Dan assured him.

"Are you going to show them the library now?" Hermione asked excitedly. Shirley, Bryce, Amy and Roberts ears all perked up at hearing about a library.

"I guess we can do it now or do you want to look at the gardens some more?" Dan asked.

"Library now!" Shirley declared. Amy and Bryce both nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay," Dan said as he led them to the library. Robert, Shirley, Amy and Bryce's eyes all widen as they saw the size of the library. They all rushed in pulling books out and looking around as though they were in heaven. Bryce was the first one to try to open one of the locked bookcases.

"The books in those shelves are too valuable to let anyone touch. Since we hold regular parties we don't want them stolen," Dan explained which everyone accepted. Bryce and Robert started looking at the titles of the books in the locked shelves with their renewed interest.

"Is that a copy of the Gutenberg Bible?" Robert asked.

"Yes. Harry inherited 5 copies from his family," Dan lied.

"Five copies. Was his family very religious?" Shirley asked.

"His family use to be quite big but they have died out and Harry is the last remaining member so he inherited them all," Dan said to stop them from inquiring more about the history of the books which they had brought from different pureblood families with help from Sirius.

"Are the the copies complete?" Amy asked.

"They are all complete,"

"Why did no one know about these copies?" Amy asked. "They have enormous historical significance if they are authentic,"

"They are genuine since the bank where we store the other copies had them checked out by Sotheby's appraisers for insurance purposes. The appraisers were in shock when they first saw them. They desperately wanted to know the history of the copies but Harry's family were very private and information about them is very hard to obtain," Dan said.

"How long did the appraisals take?"

"Several months but the experts were very reluctant to give them back. They were even more unhappy with the confidential agreements they had to sign," Dan said.

"May I take a closer look at the book?" Robert asked hopefully.

"No. They are too valuable," Dan said.

"Why do you have it in the bookshelf if people are not allowed to look at it?" Robert asked.

"It is a great conservation starter and we get a lot of favours from the clergy by allowing them to look at it," Dan replied.

Thank you for reading. Your reviews are appreciated.


	51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

That afternoon, Dan's mother, Diana Granger, arrived. After greeting everyone in the sitting room, she was introduced to Harry.

"Has Robert and his family arrived yet?" Diana asked.

"They arrived this morning. I believe they are in the library at the moment." Dan replied.

"This house has its own private library?"

"Yes. We got the books ourselves." Dan said.

"You have done well, son." Diana said as she looked at Dan. Dan swelled up in pride at hearing his mother praise.

"You must be tired from your trip. Why don't we show you the choice of rooms before I take you to the library?" Dan suggested.

"That sounds grand." Diana said.

She was lead upstairs to the first option by Dan accompanied by Emma. It was a modern bedroom with a magnificent view of the country side. Sheep and cattle could be seen grazing in the distance. The bathroom had all the modern conveniences including both a shower (with adjustable shower head) and a deluxe bathtub (with water jets for relaxations).

"This is better than a hotel," Diana said. "Let us see what other options you have but they will have to be quite spectacular to beat this."

Dan then lead her through all the empty rooms. The next bedroom she entered Diana immediately said. "Too plain.". The one after that was "too dark". Room after room Diana complained for various reasons like "It was too boring", "It was too far from everyone else." and "It is too bright.".

The final room Dan showed his mother was a a period bedroom with a brilliant view of the gardens. Its ensuite had an antique clawfoot bathtub with matching vanity and mirror. After a thorough inspection by Diana. She announced.

"This is just right." Making everyone laugh as they realised she was doing a parody of the Goldilocks fairy tale as she inspected each bedroom. While Dan moved his mother's bags to her new room, Diana asked Emma.

"Do you need help preparing dinner?"

"Meals are prepared by machine. So if you want anything then tell us and we will take care of it." Emma replied.

"What if I want a midnight snack?"

"There are fruit and nuts on the side table. Snack food, tea and liquor in the cabinet next to it."

"What if I crave a type of fruit that is not here?" Diana asked to whine her daughter in law.

"Tell us and we will see what we can do." Emma replied. Enjoying the mind game she was playing with her mother in law.

"Can you get me some fresh Kiwi fruit and longans? I had them on one of trips to the tropics and I really like them." Diana said as she tried to give Emma an impossible task.

"I see what I can do." Emma said even though she had already decided to send one of the houseelves to the tropics via the Vanishing Cabinets to get it for her mother in law.

"Thank you, Emma." Diana said just as Dan came in with the bags.

"Let us go find Rob." Dan suggested.

They found Rob and his family in the library with used plates, bowls and cups littered around them.

"This is a great library. It is bigger than the one at my school." Amy said as she Dan and Emma enter.

"I found books that would be useful for my exams that I did not know even existed." Bryce said excitedly in support of his sister's statement.

"If you write down the titles we will get you a spare copy of the books before you leave." Emma offered.

"Thank you Aunt Emma." Amy and Bryce said happily together.

"I think you should limit yourselves to 5 books each. We do not want to abuse Aunt Emma's generosity." Shirley said.

"If we don't restrict them, they would probably try to take the entire library back home with them." Rob said cheekily.

"Let them get more than 5 books if they it will help them with their up coming exams. Besides if you limit them to 5 books we will probably have trouble getting them to leave the library the entire time you are staying here." Dan pleaded on Amy and Bryce's behalf.

"It does not feel right taking so many books without paying. If it will help with their exams at least let us pay for it." Shirley said.

"Maybe they can consider it their Christmas present for this year." Rob suggested.

"We already brought their proper Christmas presents. Besides we brought the library in bulk with multiple copies of all books in case some books get stolen by our party guests. So it does not deprive us of anything if they take the books and duplication these books is very cheap. It costs about a dollar for the materials and labour." Dan explained.

"Besides consider this sharing the good fortune we had lately with our family." Emma added. Rob turned to Shirley who nodded her head.

"Okay. If you are sure." Rob said. He then turned to his children and said. "You can accept more than 5 books but the number will be determined by the amount of space we have in the trunk of the car. We are not going to be putting any books on the roof of the car. So pack early so that we can work out how much books we can fit."

Amy and Bryce high fived each other before they started planning.

"Amy could you help me pack since you seem to know how to fit more into a suitcase." Bryce said to Amy.

"Okay." Amy said reluctantly. "But your will owe me."

"Fine." Bryce replied.

"What should we do with the dirty dishes?" Shirley asked. "I don't remember the way to the kitchen and I did not want to get lost."

"You should create a map of the place. It is enormous." Bryce added.

"It is not that big and you will get used to it after a while. In regards to the dirty dishes. Just put them in any empty closet you find nearby. Remember to leave the door of the closet ajar so that the cleaners know you have things you need cleaning. If you have any laundry that you need done just leave the clothes in the closest closet to your room and it will be taken care of it." Emma said.

"You are spoiling us. This service must be very expensive." Rob said.

"We don't know. The households we provide the power to are paying for it." Dan replied.

"Those solar panels must be pumping out a lot of power to cover the cost of the cleaning service. How many households do you supply power to?"

"I don't know. At least a hundred." Dan replied.

"I think we are going to have trouble getting your relatives to leave." Emma whispered to Dan.

"We can always ask a team of security personnel to force them out." Dan joked.

Everyone started moving the dirty dishes into a nearby closet. After the dishes were cleared off, Shirley asked Emma.

"Can you get a wet cloth for me so that I can wipe down the table."

"Don't worry about it. It would be taken care of by the cleaners. They come by once during the day and again at night." Emma assured Shirley. "Why don't we go to the dining room to have dinner?"

"That sounds like a great idea." Dan said in support of his wife's suggestion.

"I agree." Diana said as she wanted to spend time with her family before she loses them to the library. "It would give me time to get to know my adopted grandson. By the way, where is he and Hermione?"

"I will look for them." Emma said as she left. Dan then lead everyone to the dining room.

"What would people like?" Dan asked after everyone settled into the dining room.

"What would you recommend?" Diana asked.

"Well I feel like mexican. So for entree I was thinking tacos with 10 sauces. You should at least like one sauce. While for main recommend Grouse in a dark mole sauce. You get the gamy favour of the grouse competing with the depth of favour from the Mole sauce creating a symphony in your mouth. The recipe for the particular Mole sauce is from southern Mexico and it usually takes 3 days to prepare." Dan replied.

"If the recipe says it requires three days to make. How can it be ready so quickly?" Diana asked.

"I don't know." Dan replied.

"Since Dan can not tell you. I speculate it could be done by rotating the mixture in a heated pressurised ball. The rotation ensures the mixture is cooked evenly while having it in a ball shape increases the area that is exposed to the heat. Being pressurised would ensure that no heat escapes and gets lost making it a lot more efficient." Rob speculated using his knowledge of engineering.

"That sounds about right." Dan said.

"How about dessert?" Bryce asked.

"I was thinking Cafe Opera. It is a french chocolate cake which you are all going love." Dan assured everyone. The dessert was not going to be prepared by the house elves like the other dishes but brought from a famous French patisserie. "Is everyone happy with the menu?"

Everyone nodded.

Dan came back into the Dining Room a little later pushing a trolley lading with food.

"The food looks and smells great. Who knew that machines could produce such good food?" Diana said.

"It should taste delicious too." Shirley said as she remembered lunch.

"Tuck in everyone." Emma announced.

"These sauces taste great. I don't know which one to choose." Diana said sampling the various taco sauces.

The meal was a great success. Everyone ate more than what was good for them. After a break to recover, Bryce asked.

"Can I be excused so that I can go back to the library to study?"

"That is fine, Bryce." Rob replied.

"Can I go too?" Amy asked.

"Sure." Rob said.

"I will go to and keep an eye on them." Hermione said.

"Who is going to keep an eye on you?" Emma joked. "How about you, Harry?"

"I am thinking about playing some pool in the game room before going for a swim to burn off the dinner I just ate." Harry said as he got up.

"Okay. Have fun, dear." Emma said.

"Now that the kids are gone can I offer anyone a drink?" Dan asked. "Maybe something with a punch, we have a large selection available."

"You do you Napeleon Cognac by any chance?" Robert asked.

"I believe we do." Dan replied. "Shirley, How about you?"

"Lady Grey Tea." Shirley replied.

"Harrods, Twinnings or some other brand?"

"Harrods." Shirley replied.

"Harrods it will be." Dan said. "You mum?"

"A little bit of sherry would hit the spot." Diana said.

"Any particular brand?"

"Surprise me." Diana said.

"Your usual?" Dan asked Emma who had started loading the dirty dishes back onto the trolley.

"Yes, please." Emma replied. Dan then started to help his wife to load the trolley. Just as they finished Bryce can rushing back in followed by Hermione and Amy.

"Do the cleaners have keys to the house?" Bryce asked.

"They do. Why do you ask?" Emma said.

"I think the cleaners were here while we were having dinner since the dirty dishes from earlier are gone and the library is totally cleaned. Even the books we had out were put away." Bryce said.

"Well they are paid to be discrete from what I have been told." Emma replied.

"Can you the cleaners not to put away any books we have taken out?" Bryce asked.

"Just leave a note next to your dirty dishes with your request. In fact I recommend that you write a thank you note next to all your dirty dishes and laundry. Emma suggested.

"That is a great suggestion. We don't want to piss off such helpful people." Shirley said.

"Okay." Bryce and Amy replied.

The next morning Harry went for a swim before breakfast. He was swimming regularly in case he had to perform the second task in Triwizard tournament. It was also a great way for him to stay fit since he was not playing Quidditich this time round. When he arrived at the dining room for breakfast, he found the room already occupied by all the adults.

"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked after greeting everyone.

"Probably in the library with Amy and Bryce." Emma replied.

"Do you mind calling them for breakfast, Harry?" Diana asked.

"I will help." Dan quickly added with a grin on his face.

"Me too." Rob said with the same grin.

Once out of earshot of Diana, Emma and Shirley. The three guys stopped to discuss their plan for waking the sleeping family members.

"How should we do it?" Rob asked.

"I was going to use a gong." Dan said.

"I was thinking of placing my hands on Hermione shoulders." Harry replied. He knew that he had to stop Hermione from reaching for her wand.

"Okay. Dan you use the gong on Bryce, Harry wakes Hermione and I wake Amy with a bucket of cold water." Rob suggested.

"Agreed." Dan said as he went in search of a gong.

"Agreed." Harry said.

They moved into position over their intended targets. Rob used one hand to count down to coordinate their actions. At zero, Rob pour cold water on Amy, Dan gonged Bryce and Harry shook Hermione awake while preventing her from doing anything else. Amy, Bryce and Hermione all screamed and started yelling expletives. Rob, Dan and Harry were laughing their heads off.

"Why did you do that?" Hermione said outraged.

"It was extremely funny watching your reactions?" Rob said.

"Payback is a bitch." Amy said threateningly. Bryce and Hermione backed her up. The look on their faces told Harry, Rob and Dan that they were serious. They were now doubting the wisdom of their little prank. Rob decides to break the silence by saying.

"I am going to the city with mum this morning. Do you guys want to come too?"

"Sorry got to study." Amy said.

"Same." Bryce said.

"Dad, does you or mum have anything planned for us?" Hermione asked.

"We have a business appointment after breakfast for Emma, you, Harry and me. Don't you remember." Dan said while looking in the eyes of his daughter. Hermione immediately realise that her father is talking about house inspections in the US. Judging by the way, Dan was acting, she was pretty sure that he had not told the rest of the family about their plans to move.

"It totally slipped my mind." Hermione said.

"Who is staying home to stop these two from hosting a party?" Rob joked while Amy and Bryce rolled their eyes.

"I believe Mum is staying home." Dan said. "She also wants to check out this library."

"Everyone off to clean up and change so that we can have breakfast together." Rob announced.

As Rob, Shirley, Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma cleared the Breakfast table, Dan asked Rob and Shirley.

"Are you going to be back here for lunch?"

"We are going to the bank so who knows how long that is going take especially so close to Christmas. We will try to make it back in time. Are you guys going to be back for lunch?"

"Yes. We should be back in time for lunch." Emma replied.

"Thank you again for your offer to invest some money for us. I still can not get over the fact that I did not connect the Times article about Daniel Granger to you. my brother." Rob replied.

"I always knew you were the dumber brother." Dan said.

"But I got a higher score than you at the end of High School." Rob countered.

"By one mark." Dan said.

"It stills counts." Rob said in a tone that was reminiscent to school kids fighting in the playground.

"Before the English final, you punched me in the nose." Dan said in a raised voice.

"Enough. Both of you behave." Shirley said forcefully. It was evident that she had experience breaking up these things.

"Okay." Rob said even though it looked like their was something else he wanted to say. "What are you guys doing this morning? You mentioned an appointment but not with whom."

"It is private." Dan replied. Rob and his family decided not to push thinking it was related to Harry's adoption.

A/N Sorry for the delay.

Thank you for reading. Your reviews and comments are appreciated.


	52. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma arrived in Washington DC via portkey. It took them a few minutes to recover from the portkey and work out exactly where they were. Emma led them north after checking her map. The streets were snow covered and judging by the size and condition of the houses, they were in a rather affluent neighbourhood. As they approached a Gothic styled house, a woman came rushing out to meet them.

"Thank you for coming out so early to show us the house." Emma said.

"No problem." The reality estate agent replied. You could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes. "I know how busy you all are. Let me show you around this gem of a property."

They were lead inside away from the cold. The house was very dark and had a very imposing feeling to it. Harry took an instant dislike to it.

"This house is extremely sought after due to its proximity to Capitol Hill. Its massive dining room is ideal for hosting political gatherings. In fact, a lot of famous political figures have stayed in this house including Martin Luther King Jr., and JFK to name a few. You will be buying a piece of American History.

"No other house in the area has as many rooms as this place. All of the rooms are good sized so you should never feel cramped staying here. Storage is not a problem with a large attic plus two outbuildings including a multi-car garage. The cellar once held one of the country's best wine collections. Central heating is provided via a solid fuel burner which could be easily converted into electric to save money and to take advantage of the solar panels you produce. A little TLC, which I heard you are quite good at, and this will make the perfect US home for you." The relator said. Only Dan and Emma were paying attention to the pitch from the real estate agent.

Hermione could sense quite a few dark creatures in this house. One of creatures she spotted was extremely dark and would be difficult to remove. She and Harry shared a look before putting their hands on wands so that they could be ready to respond to any attack on their family. Seeing the dislike on the faces of the two children and knowing that house purchases were a collective decision, the real estate agent directed the pitch at the children.

"This house has an impressive backyard that is more than large enough to fit a pool. If that is not enough space then you can always purchase the house behind you and make one massive enclosed area to play in. Privacy is not a problem with those big trees obscuring the neighbours. Not that it would be a concern as the neighbours are friendly and hold monthly block parties. You probably cross paths with them on a regular basis at the two public parks within walking distance from here. Transportation is also not a problem with easy access to public transport and main roadways."

At the end of the tour, the Real Estate Agent knew that she failed to convince the children that the house was right fit for them. So she said her goodbyes and let them leave. They headed back home for lunch. This time, the meal was prepared completely by the house elves using the recipes from the cookbooks they stole from Molly Weasley. As they began eating Bryce asked.

"Are you sure you have a cleaning service and not some helpful ghosts?"

"Why do you ask?" Emma asked.

"I was in the library studying when I accidentally spilt some of my orange juice all over my notes. When I came back from the kitchen with some towels, the mess was already cleaned up."

"Maybe they were cleaning some other part of the house when they spotted the opportunity to clean the library without anyone noticing." Emma suggested.

"How did they get past Grandma and Amy who were near the entrance of the library?" Bryce said.

"It is an old house maybe there are secret passageways we have not discovered yet." Dan suggested.

Knowing what the normal reaction to finding out there are secret passageways. Emma quickly said "I don't want anyone looking for secret passageways. It could be dangerous."

"If I find anyone looking for secret passageways they will be sorry." Shirley announced backing Emma up.

"Thank you, Shirley." Emma said.

"No problem. It is your home after all." Shirley said. The meal continued. Rob turned to Dan and said.

"I made the transfer. You should see the money in your account in the next few days."

"Why are you transferring money to Uncle Dan?" Amy asked. "It looks like he is loaded."

"I am investing it for your Dad." Dan replied. "Mum, are you sure you don't want to get in some of this action. I am willing to guarantee a seventeen percent return."

"I stick will stick with term deposits. They are safer and a lot less bother." Diana replied.

"Suit yourself." Dan said, disappointed that his mother did not trust him.

"Seventeen percent return." Bryce said. "Is that compound interest or simple interest?"

"Compound interest paid yearly." Dan replied.

"Can anyone get in on the deal?" Bryce asked.

"Sorry. I only do it for family." Dan replied to the disappointment of Bryce.

"Can I get the same deal?" Bryce asked after some thought.

"Once you start making money. We can talk about it, if that is if it is okay with your parents." Dan said.

"Sure but it must be a full-time job and only a percentage of your income." Shirley said to Bryce and Amy.

At the completion of the meal, Diana said. "That was scrumptious. How much does the service cost?"

"A lot, if it was not for all the events we hold it would not be worth it." Dan replied.

"Do you guys have access to periodicals and magazines?" Amy asked. Hermione and Bryce also perked up with interest.

"Let me show you now, if you want?" Dan asked as he did not want to help with the cleaning up. He received three nodding heads. It was looking at the bobbing head figurines found in some cars.

"Okay. Let's go." Dan said as he led everyone except Emma to the library. They walked to a side wall where he pulled back the bookcase to reveal a secret room. There were no windows or ventilation to the room. The only light source was a single light bulb which Dan turned on. On the left side of the room was magazines in a plastic covers and on the right side was newspapers in massive folders. At the back of the room was a single computer.

"We keep this place hidden so that our guests do not mess around in here." Dan said. "The magazines and newspapers go back two years and they are sorted alphabetically by name. We have magazines like The Economist, New Scientist and the Times but none of the trash magazines. This computer has access to a regularly updated database which allows you to search for a particular article. For example you want to find articles about "Granger" then you put the word in the search field and it lists all the articles concerning that subject. You have to find the article in here but if you can't find it then ask us to get it for you. This collection is part of a bigger collection held elsewhere."

"What if we want to copy something?" Amy asked.

"There is a photocopier in our study. If you need to copy something then tell us so that we can let you in since we keep the room locked." Dan replied. "Any other questions?"

"No." Amy said. Dan took his leave followed by Hermione and Harry. As they left, Amy, Bryce and Shirley were fighting for the keyboard while Diana and Rob looked on amused.

"Where is the bigger collection of magazines and newspapers?" Hermione asked her dad as they searched for Emma.

"We have access to several collections. There the one at the Granger Institute, another at our US headquarters and a really complete collection at our old home. The collection at our old home is missing access to the database since computers cannot work in magic rich environments." Dan replied.

"Maybe we should install a second computer with access to the database in the periodicals room." Hermione suggested.

"It is unnecessary as the computer in the kitchen and the one in our study has access as well." Dan said secretively as he did not want his relatives to know. They found Emma and proceeded to their next inspection. This time they portkeyed to a desert area of the Las Vegas near McCarran Airport and took a taxi to the next property. On the street in front of the property they were met by the real estate agent. He was a man who would not look out of place an Elvis Presley look-alike competition.

"Nice to see you again Mr and Mrs Granger." The real estate agent said in a broad southern accent. "These are the two munchkins you mentioned on your earlier visit."

"Yes, nice to see you again." Dan replied. "We have a lot to do today so let's get on with it."

You could tell that Dan did not like the real estate agent and found him sleazy.

"Alright, this way please." The real estate agent said as he led them to the property.

"This little gem has not been on the market for long and has already attracted quite a bit of interest. It supposedly won a few awards for its innovative design and construction. Environmentally conscious people are drawn to its low energy consumption and the fact it blends in with its surroundings. Transportation is also not a problem with easy access to the airport, bus routes and there is even talk of a fast commuter train link to Carson City." The real estate agent said as he started the pitch to the Grangers.

"So the train link might be a pipe dream." Dan said as he tried to poke holes in the pitch.

"It well known that they already conducted the feasibility study and are requesting bids from various construction companies. Carson City is experiencing an explosion of economic activity and the Nevada governor, Bob Miller is desperate to spread the growth throughout the state. He believes the best way to do so is to improve the state's infrastructure and in particular, commuter trains. If he continues his support of the project they could begin construction next year." The Real estate agent said trying to assure the Grangers that the project was a done deal. Seeing how his previous statement was not successful he decided to elaborate.

"In the last six months, Carson City is becoming the centre of gold trading in the world. There is talk that Carson City could also play an important role in the energy industry and global logistics. All that activity would require large labour force to provide support services. Las Vegas is perfectly placed to provide those services. It already has the large population in place and it is in the same state as Carson City so less state taxes."

"Why are the owners selling if you believe that Las Vegas is going to rapidly expand?" Emma asked.

"The owners are relocating to Australia so they had to sell in order to pay for the move."

The inspection of the house continued as the real estate agent realised that he could not convince the Grangers that the commuter train link was an actual possibility. They were shown the 6 bedrooms which was a lot less than the previous house they toured. The deal breaker however was the lack of privacy on one side of the property.

Since they were already in the area, the Grangers took another portkey to their global headquarters.

"Mr and Mrs Granger, Miss Granger and Mr Potter we were not expecting you." Grant's personal assistant said as they arrived.

"We were in the area and we thought we will pop in." Emma replied.

"Where are my manners? Would you like some refreshments?" Grant's personal assistant asked.

They all declined.

"If you would wait here for a minute I will let Mr Rosenberg know you are here?" The secretary left and came back a few minutes later.

"Sorry but Mr Rosenberg is at a delicate stage of some negotiations he is conducting. If you want I can show you around until he is available."

"That sounds lovely." Dan said. The personal assistant started showing them around. They noticed immediately that the office was a lot more crowded than their previous visit.

"Our company's strong growth has continued. We are in the process of doing feasibility studies to determine whether it is worth our while to relocate the head offices of the operations we acquired to this city. Most of the activity related to magic has been moved to a site we acquired near the Granger Institute. In fact, we are the only company that the outcast organisation allowed to purchase land within their wards."

The second office building was now completely non-magical and was seriously crowded. It was a total change from the last time they visited when it was devoted to their magical operations. At the end of the tour, they made their way back to Grant's office. Grant was waiting for them, obviously tired from the negotiations he was conducting. His hair was a mess, his tie and jacket were removed and his business shirt had its sleeves rolled up.

"Who were you negotiating with, Centaurs?" Emma asked.

"The Centaurs were a breeze. They practically jumped at our first offer." Grant replied.

"What was the offer?" Harry asked.

"We are the only ones allowed access to their forests to collect magical materials. In return for the access we help defend them against other outsiders and we assist them in establishing another sanctuary. So all other outsiders are now banned from their territories including Hogwart's Forbidden Forest." Grant replied. This brought a grin to the faces of Harry and Hermione.

"Can you image if Professor Snape tries to enter the Forbidden Forest to collect rare potion ingredients only to face an angry Centaur?" Harry said.

"How about Hagrid being forbidden from access to the dangerous creatures he loves?" Hermione said.

"It will drive Dumbledore up the roof not knowing what was happening in area so close to him." Harry suggested.

"Ollivander, the wand maker, will also be denied access to the forbidden forest to collect wand cores." Grant added.

"Why did you mention Ollivander?" Harry asked.

"We need a better wand maker. The ones in the US are working flat out and are struggling to keep up with demand. If we can convince Ollivander to relocate to the US and take on a few apprentices then it would be extremely beneficial to our cause." Grant explained.

"Have you offered him more money?" Emma asked.

"We tried but he has been at the same location for so many years that he is very reluctant to move." Grant said. Harry and Hermione whispered to each other before turning to Grant.

"We believe we can help you convince Ollivander. But what we tell you must remain a secret." Hermione said.

"I maybe a squib but I have enough magic to defend my mind." Grant assured them.

"Well you can tell Ollivander that Harry and a Voldemort-possessed Professor Quirrell fought. Their spells collided and a golden cage appeared. Our research indicates that it is because our wands are brothers to each other. Voldemort does not know that so when he comes back he will be looking for him to find out why it occurred." Harry lied.

"So he is coming back?" Grant asked in shock.

"Maybe we will talk to Ollivander ourselves." Harry said at seeing the shocked expression on Grant's face. Hermione handed Grant a glass of water which he downs in one gulp. That does the trick.

"The Dark Lord is coming back?" Grant asks again.

"Yes. But we will be prepared. All our actions is about removing potential targets from within his grasp or taking away potential allies. Speaking of allies how are the negotiations with the Outcast organisation and the other magical races going?"

"I was in the negotiations with the Outcast Organisation when you arrived earlier. It is still in the early stages but the signs are positive. They bring with them agreements with the Veelas, gnomes and the dwarves. Giants are no longer a threat as they all work for us and are too scared of pissing us off. Vampires are mostly on board but a formal agreement is something we are working towards but there is no rush since the ones we have hired are bound to us by contract and would defend us from the others if push came to shove. Werewolves are the same. They are hunting the rogue elements that give werewolves a bad name such as Fenrir Greyback. In fact, Greyback lost the leadership of his pack and is on the run severely injured. Remus is being watched but they are holding off putting him down until we give them the go ahead since he owes us a lot of money." Grant explained.

"How about the Merpeople and the trolls?' Hermione asked.

"We will let the Outcast Organisation deal with the Merpeople while the trolls are too dumb to abide by any agreement. So we have not worked out how we are going to deal with them." Grant replied.

"I will try to work out something for the trolls. Is there anything else?" Hermione asked.

"In regards to the goblins, I think that either Harry or Dan should lead the negotiations when we are in a strong enough position. They will demand to deal with the actual person in charge and not their representative." Grant explained.

"Why can't I or Hermione lead?" Emma asked.

"The Goblins look down on females in their culture and would refuse to do any deals with them as the lead." Grant replied.

"I think Dad should do it." Hermione said. "The goblins would think they would have the advantage since he is non-magical. When he enters the room in Basilisk body armour holding a machine gun with Basilisk venom bullets that should shock them."

"I like it. It will keep them off balance." Grant said. "I will get our people to modify some bullets so they can hold basilisk venom and Dan will need practice using a gun."

"Could you get hold of a gun for me?" Dan asked.

"That won't be a problem. We have quite a collection that we have stolen from drug barons and arms dealers." Grant said at that moment someone knocked on the door.

"I have to go. The negotiations have started up again." Grant said.

"Okay. See you later." Emma replied voicing the sentiments the rest of the group felt.


	53. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Harry enjoyed spending time with the extended Granger family. They behaved in a manner that he always imagined a proper family would act towards each other. There were the occasional arguments and teasing but no one took it too seriously. It was better than the Weasleys because there were no ulterior motives or fake facades. This made Harry more determined than ever to join the family properly by marrying Hermione.

During the days leading up to Christmas, Harry visited his first amusement park. Getting Shirley, Bryce and Amy to leave the house was a chore. They wanted to stay in the library but everyone else forced them out of the house claiming a little fresh air would be good for them. It was a fun day for all and Harry discovered the joys of roller-coaster rides to the horror of everyone. They preferred the more tame rides such as the Ferris wheel. At the end of the day, they had a bunch of souvenirs and stuffed toys.

They also inspected a few more properties during that period including a McMansion near the Granger Institute. It sat on a very large piece of land but the house had no soul or character. So they decided to purchase it anyway and replace the house with a better one from somewhere else. Relocating houses is quiet easy to achieve using magic. Money was not a problem with the amount they were making from their various ventures and having a convenient location from where they could visit the Granger Institute was something they desired.

It was decided that Hermione would get her wish to see the new library on Christmas Eve. So early that morning Dan, Emma, Hermione and Harry drove to the Grangers' old home. The place had been converted into a massive library. Power and water had been disconnected since it was not necessary. They still paid council rates and land taxes so the house was still considered as muggle rather than magical. As they entered the house, it was obvious that the place was magical. The interior was many times bigger than the external.

Books in shelves filled the entire house. As they walk through the house, every room was used to hold books including what use to be the kitchen. When they reach the garage, they found Alice and her mum sitting at a desk with trunks all around them.

"What are in these trunks?" Hermione asked after greetings were exchanged.

"Books that we have just copied." Alice replied.

"Are you still copying books from the Hogwarts's library?" Hermione asked.

"We have copied all the books in the restricted section of Hogwarts's library and about a third of the main library. After we finish with the main library then the books in the Ravenclaw common room will be next." Alice replied.

"What's the hold up?"

"We lack the space to put the copied books."

"Why don't you use Ashley's old tent?"

"It is already being used. In fact, all the tents are being used to either store books or hold spare Basilisk by-products." Alice replied.

"If you want, your family can move to a rental property that we will pay for. That way we can use the tent to store more books." Hermione offered.

"We have already moved out." Alice replied. "The tent we used to live in is already filled with books from Dumbledore's private library."

"You know that we are planning to relocate to the US next year?" Emma asked.

"We know that but we want a place of our own. The amount of money the three of us are making, we could afford to rent a place in the states and keep this place going as well."

"So tell us about your new place." Hermione requested. They spent some time talking about Alice's new home before the Grangers continued their inspection. Alice offered to act as a guide which they gladly accepted.

"We have books about magic and science. That is one of the reasons why space is such a problem." Alice said immediately. "The books are sorted using the Dewey Decimal System with the History section at the back of the house and computer science near the front door."

"Where are the magazines and journals?"

"The periodicals are all housed in Hermione's old room."

"Is there a card system to find books?"

"There is a magical ledger which keeps track of all the books we have in this library. It is kept near the newly built cellar to this place. The cellar is where we keep all the forbidden books and access is extremely limited. These books deal with subject matters so dark that we believe that the general public should never get access to them including the Granger Institute. We are only keeping the books so that Hermione can research Horcrux removal or if our enemies go down that path we can research how to combat or stop them." Alice explained.

"So who decides a book should be included in this group?" Harry asked as they made their way to the cellar.

"I do it when I am sorting or copying books. If I am unsure then I will ask, Emma. In cases where such books make it to the Granger Institute, the librarian will usually return it." Alice replied as they approached Emily who was sitting at a desk blocking access to the cellar. Emily looked up from the book she was reading when she noticed their arrival. They exchanged greetings. Alice picks up a massive book and hands it to Hermione.

"This is a ledger listing all the books here. Point your wand at the book while saying which subject you are interested in and the ledger will show all available books dealing with that topic." Alice explained. "I will now get back to work and leave you in the capable hands of Emily."

"What are you working on?" Hermione asked Emily.

"I am trying to fine tune a spell that the Granger Institute developed that would pass through any shield. The spell will make a guy experience the symptoms of a very bad period." Emily replied. Dan and Harry both cringed.

"What seems to be the problem?" Hermione asked with a smile on her face.

"The lab rats kept dying from blood lost before they could stem the flow." Emily replied.

"Did you try incorporating a spell version of the blood replenishing potion?" Hermione suggested.

"That might work." Emily said excitedly.

"Do you mind showing us the cellar?" Harry asked, desperate to change subjects. Hermione however ignored the request as she was enjoying the uncomfortable expressions on her dad and Harry's faces. She considered it payback for their prank the other day.

"Speaking of periods…" Hermione said causing Harry and Dan to groan. "Mum have you tried the magical potion for period pain?"

"I did try it and it worked a great. There do not appear to be any side effects but a doctor and a healer are both monitoring me. We were so encouraged by the results that we have enlisted the help of a large number of female volunteers to test the potion on Squibs and non-magicals. Meanwhile we have recruited a squib pharmacist to try to identify the active components so that we can release a non-magical version of the potion to the general public." Emma explained.

"Have you worked out where you going to source the massive amounts of magical ingredients you will need if you go mass market?" Hermione asked immediately.

"No I have not that." Emma admitted.

"Talk to Grant about using some of the farm land we have acquired to grow the necessary magical ingredients." Hermione suggested.

"Okay." Emma replied.

"I will talk to Grant. Since I worked out a ward system which would repel pests, it will make farming a lot cheaper and healthier." Harry added.

"Can we check out the cellar now?" Dan said in the same way kids ask if they are there yet. Everyone laughed at the impression.

"Be patient dear." Emma said in a condescending manner while patting Dan on the head. This made everyone laugh even more. It took a little time for everyone to catch their breath.

"Let's go." Emily announced. The cellar visit was anticlimactic. It looked like the rest of the house and the books created a very atmosphere to the room somehow. After the tour, Emily asked.

"Have you seen the tents or the shed where we keep the vanishing cabinet?"

"No. Alice already showed us the rest of the house and the Attic but nothing outside." Emma replied.

"Why don't I show you?" Emily offered. They nodded their head.

The first two tents they visited were filled with books. While the last tent they visited was filled with Basilisk venom, skin and other bits.

"What happened to all the stuff that came from the Room of Lost things?" Harry asked.

"The junk was moved back to the Room of Lost Things. Some of the more valuable stuff is in one of these tents. While the rest of the stuff have been moved to the Black Manor for storage." Emily replied.

"Why not move the Basilisk stuff as well?"

"It is too valuable to move there as it is too easily stolen or lost." Emily replied.

"Why don't we go to the shed?" Emma said after looking at her watch with a suspicious grin on her face.

"Okay." Emily replied as she led them to the shed. As soon as the door opened a black dog pounced on Harry. It began licking Harry's face which made everyone laugh.

"Padfoot!" Harry said in surprise and joy. They went into the shed where the dog changed back into Sirius.

"Good to see everyone." Sirius said.

"Good to see you too." Harry said accompanied by similar comments from the other people in the room. Sirius then turned to Emily and said.

"Especially you, my darling..."

"That I don't miss." Emily said half in jest. "Why don't I leave you to catch up?" Emily suggested before leaving.

"I am sorry I could not meet the Hogwarts Express but Lucius is desperately trying to kill me. He is currently in Europe looking for me." Sirius explained.

"It will not be long before that problem will be taken care of." Harry assured Sirius.

"I don't know how long I can last. Just last week, Lucius impervioused one of my employees in order to try and kill me. If it was not for the timely intervention of a house elf I would have died." Sirius said in fear.

"By the end of January that will not be a problem anymore." Harry assured Sirius. Hermione decided to change topics before he asked for details.

"So how is the newspaper you started going?" Hermione asked.

"It is going great and a lot of fun. We finally sorted out some of the printing issues we had initially. The editor in chief we have is an absolute genius." Sirius said.

"So what has been the reaction to the paper?" Hermione asked.

"The different magical authorities are not happy with us and are constantly trying to shut us down. So far they have been unsuccessful because they don't know where we are located. We also have to use a different person to OWL out every issue so that they cannot ward against us. But that is becoming increasingly risky." Sirius explained.

"Why don't you convert the paper into magical paper aeroplanes like the ministry?" Harry suggested.

"That would make it easy for the ministry to ward against our newspaper."

"It is not possible to ward against paper aeroplanes since it is so simplistic that magic would not be able to detect it. The only reason they do not use it instead of owls is because the traditionalists do not like the change." Harry said.

"I will definitely look into that." Sirius said as he made a mental note to check it out.

"Have you been able to achieve anything yet?" Hermione asked.

"A few minor successes, our biggest scalp so far is Karl Karkaroff, ex-Headmaster of Drumstrang. Our article left him with no supporters. His pureblood supporters did not like the fact he was a snitch while the progressives did not like the fact he was a death eater." Sirius said while polishing his nails with pride.

"So no major successes... Was our outlay worth what we have accomplished so far?" Hermione asked since she believed that Sirius was not taking it seriously.

"It did not cost as much as you think. I spent some of my own money in the venture since I believe in it. A project such as this takes time to achieve measurable results and I have been putting my money where my mouth is." Sirius said defensively.

"Sorry it is just a lot of money to set up a newspaper. I was wondering if it would have been better to spend the money on something better." Hermione replied.

"That is alright. I am very defensive of the newspaper because it was the only escape I have from the feeling of being hunted." Sirius admitted. Hermione felt really bad for what she tried to do.

"I will guarantee they will stop hunting you within a fortnight of us returning to school." Hermione stated with conviction. In her head, she was already adjusting the plans that were developed.

"So what are your long term plans for the paper?" Dan asked.

This lead to a long discussion of Sirius' plans to expand the newspaper. It continued through lunch and at the end of the meal. Sirius asked.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"As you know, we are planning to relocate to the states next year. Well we were planning to check out one final location for our new home in the US." Emma replied.

"Where in the US were you looking?" Sirius asked.

"We looked all over the country but the place we are going to today is New York." Emma said.

"I wish I could go with you but it is not safe for me." Sirius said. "In fact I think I better get going."

They exchanged farewells before they went their separate ways. Sirius went to god knows where while Harry and the Granger headed to the US. Emma led them to a commercial building near Central Park New York. The building looked like all the others in the block.

"We are here." Emma announced.

"This is an office building." Hermione said.

"I know. It is the current offices of one of the gold companies we have acquired. We are planning to consolidate our operations in Carson City. So this building is going to waste since it has a ten year lease agreement with its current owners. The agreement was set up to guarantee income for the owners and in return the company got the building at very low rent but was forbidden from subletting. We can convert the building into our new home." Emma explained.

"Where are we going to practice our magic?" Hermione asked.

"There are three levels below ground. They are currently using two levels as vaults for holding gold which we can convert into a place to practise magic." Dan suggested.

"How about the outside space?" Harry asked thinking about his hobby of flying.

"We can get a place in the Hamptons like other rich people or you can go to that place we are buying near the Granger Institute." Dan suggested. Harry was not really happy but knew that this place would be better for socialising and politicking.

"Why don't we show you around?" Emma suggested. As they entered, the two security guards greeted them and waved them through. Dan used a key get the elevator to go down to the basement level which was for secure parking and a loading area. This time, Dan and Emma both had to show the guards their identification before they were allowed to look around. It was not very interesting. The rest of building was the same until they reached top two floors where the Vice Presidents and President use to work. The view of the Park and the New York skyline was fantastic.

"We are thinking of converting these two levels into our new residence. Ground floor and the parking level will remain the same. Floor one and two will be turned into our offices and a place to do dental procedures requiring expensive equipment. Since we don't think it will be safe to store expensive equipment at the free dental clinic in Brooklyn we are planning to open. The rest of the floors will be used as your library. So what do you think?" Emma said. Harry and Hermione thought about and nodded.

"It sounds good to us." Harry said to the relief of Emma and Dan.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked.

"It will be a great location for pedalling influence we need." Harry said.

"I will live in the same building as my library." Hermione said excitedly.

"So it is decided this is going to be our new home." Emma said.

"We inform the rest of my family tomorrow." Dan said.


	54. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Harry was awoken by someone jumping on his bed.

"Get up, it's Christmas Day!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Go away… Let me go back to sleep..." Harry said grumpily. He had never really enjoyed Christmas before. It reminded him of all the extra cooking he used to have to do for the Dursleys around that time of the year.

"Get up so we can open the presents." Hermione said as she vigorously shook Harry.

"Alright, I surrender" Harry said. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's 7 o'clock and everyone is up and waiting for you. We cannot start opening presents until everyone is there and that includes you sleepy head." Hermione said as she left to give him some privacy. A little while later, Harry headed to the dining room. He was warmly greeted by everyone before getting his breakfast. At the end of the meal, Dan stood up.

"I have an announcement to make before we start opening our presents." Dan stated. "Emma, Hermione, Harry, and I will be moving to the states next year."

Everyone who did not know already was in shock. Once they recovered Robert asked "What is going to happen to this house? We would be willing to act as the caretakers for the property."

"We are keeping the property and Harry's godfather will be moving in. He cannot be here right now due to work commitments." Dan replied.

"Have you found a place yet?" Diana asked.

"We found a building we like in New York yesterday." Emma informed them.

"When are you going to leave?" Diana asked.

"This summer." Dan replied.

"Do you need help moving?" Robert asked.

"We are going to use a professional service that is going to take care of everything." Dan said.

"Let us go and open some presents." Emma suggested. Harry, Hermione, Amy and Bryce were all for it and rushed to the entrance hall where the Christmas tree with the presents were located. The adults arrive quite a bit later. It seems they had a discussion amongst themselves before they had re-joined the kids.

The presents were handed out and opened. Hermione as usual received more books from everyone while Harry received a photo frame set with photos from Robert, Shirley and Diana. Dan and Emma gave Harry a non-magical watch. Then it was time for Dan and Emma to hand out their presents. Amy and Bryce were first up. A big box with lots of little boxes on top of it was rolled out on a trolley.

"This is our present for both of you." Emma announced. "Remember to share."

Bryce immediately started removing the wrapping paper with Amy soon helping. It was the latest personal computer with a lot of software including games.

"Thank you, Uncle Dan, Aunt Emma." Amy and Bryce said excitedly. Amy hugged both of them. Robert and Shirley started looking at the software titles with interest. Shirley picked up a software box and asked.

"Is this Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel?"

"It has everything you need including word processors, database management and publishing programs." Emma replied.

"I have heard about this program. It is said to potentially revolutionise our industry." Robert said as he looked at a computer aided design program.

"We have invested some money with that company to help further develop that software." Dan replied.

Emma leaned towards Dan and whispered.

"I told you we should have brought them a second computer."

"I admit you were right. We can buy another computer during the Boxing day sales." Dan replied.

"Some of these game titles have not been released yet." Bryce said eagerly.

"Not officially… It's one of the benefits of being a part owner of these companies." Dan said.

"Is this a CD Walkman?" Amy asked.

"Yes. I know that your brother is probably going to hog the computer so we thought we should get something just for you." Emma replied.

"We can buy you a few CDs during the Boxing day sales." Dan offered.

"We cannot accept all these gifts, they are too expensive." Shirley stated.

"It is alright. We are doing very well so this is us spreading the wealth." Dan countered.

"Our children are now set for life. We are just sharing some of our good fortune with the rest of our family." Emma assured them. Shirley was the first to hug Emma and Dan as a thank you but they were quickly followed by the rest of the family.

"Why don't we move onto Mum's present?" Dan suggested. Everyone agreed even though Amy and Bryce both wanted to play with their new presents.

"Mum, we don't think it is safe for you to drive that car of yours. So we hope that you accept the Volvo that we use to drive. It is only three years old and in perfect working order." Dan said as he handed his mum, the keys to the car.

"Thank you, Dan and Emma." Diana said as she hugged them.

"Finally we have you two." Dan said to Shirley and Robert. Robert had his eyes closed and chanted Bentley loud enough for everyone to hear.

"No you are not getting the Bentley. Instead a BMW is in Garage. Why don't we show you?" Dan offered as he gave the keys to Shirley.

They all went down to the garage where the cars were stored.

"Now we have a lot extra space to store books." Amy said as she looked at their new car.

"But remember we don't have that much free space at home." Shirley reminded Amy.

"We will do some spring cleaning when we get home." Amy suggested. Bryce face fell at the thought of spring cleaning.

"Can we borrow your cleaning service for a few weeks?" Bryce asked Dan and Emma jokingly.

"Sorry but you already got your presents." Emma replied.

"Damn. Can I swap?" Bryce countered.

"No exchanges allowed." Dan replied with a smile.

The rest of the day was spent playing with the various presents. Diana and the other adults were playing with the new cars. Amy was listening to her new CD player. Bryce and Harry were playing with the new computer. Hermione was reading the new books she received. At dinner time everyone gathered for the formal Christmas Dinner. It was a massive meal with twelve courses. Each course was more scrumptious than the last, culminating in a chocolate dessert richer than gold. After the meal, everyone was too stuffed to do anything so they spent the rest of the evening talking.

Boxing Day was devoted to shopping, much to the disappointment of Dan, Robert, Harry and Bryce. They were dragged from store to store complaining constantly. When it came time to purchase the second personal computer, they were close to a revolt as the guys wanted to remain at the electronics store while the girls wish to continue shopping. It was not until the girls used the "Don't you love me anymore" technique with the big eyes that the boys relented. For the remainder of the trip, the boys could be heard cursing their decision.

They collapsed on the couches in the sitting room when the elderly Weasley owl flew straight into the window closest to Harry.

"What was that?" Robert asked with concern.

"A bird must have flown into a window again." Dan said quickly.

"Does it happen often?' Robert asked.

"When we first started renovating this place, it use to occur once a day but as time progressed it happened less frequently. These days, it only happens once in a while. Harry, do you mind coming with me to check." Dan explained. Harry got up reluctantly and made his way outside with Dan. As soon as Harry recognised the owl, his tiredness left him. Using Dan as cover, Harry took the letter attached to the unconscious owl. It was just as well since, Amy had arrived to help.

"Do you need any help?" Amy offered.

"It is alright. We have a special shed which the owl can use for tonight and in the morning we will take him to the vet." Dan said. "Why don't you go back into the house?"

"Alright, Uncle Dan." Amy replied before she went back into the house. Once they were out of sight of the occupants of the house, Dan asked.

"What does the letter say?"

"Dear Harry/business partner/benefactor

Could you please help us? We are starving. Ever since our mother's accident she has become an awful cook. Anything she cooks tastes horrible even the bacon and eggs. We don't know how she can wreck such a simple dish but she has. It is possible to have the opposite of the Midas touch.

We have eaten all the snacks we took with us including every single last Bert's every flavour bean. Even ear wax flavoured beans taste better than her cooking. If you do not send us some food quickly, we will have to resort to eating our prank supplies. That is how desperate we are. We will even swear that none of the food you send us would be given to Ron or Percy (knowing how much you dislike them). Is it alright if you provide extra so that we can give some to our father, older brother, Bill and sister, Ginny? They have been sustaining on fruit from our orchards and we don't know how long it last.

Something that might interest you is that Ron and Ginny begged to be allowed to be home schooled. But both our parents were adamant that they should continue with Hogwarts. We cannot really blame Ron and Ginny for trying. The various incidents they have been involved in throughout the year so far had left them fearful and ostracised.

Regards

Forge and Gred.

"Why don't you tell Hermione about the letter and organise a care pack for them while I take care of Errol the owl?" Dan suggested.

"Okay." Harry said as he went inside.

It was decided that New Year's Eve was going to be a day of relaxation before a big celebration was held. Dan, Harry, Robert and Bryce woke up early so they could make their way to a nearby golf course. The girls remained in bed as they were going to head to a day spa at a more earthly hour.

Dan signed them in and got them all a day pass for the club. He then led the group through the clubhouse politely greeting various other members and staff. A persistent member stopped Dan as they made their way to the teeing ground for the first hole.

"Mr Ganger, how good to see you again." The member said as he blocked Dan's path.

"Good to see you too, Roger." Dan replied with no enthusiasm.

"Do you want a game?" Roger asked.

"Sorry but today I am busy. Maybe some other time" Dan replied.

"Do you mind introducing me to your guests?" Roger asked.

"How rude of me, this is my son, Harry. Robert, my brother and Bryce, my nephew. This is Roger, the deputy police commissioner." Dan said in introduction. "Sorry Roger but we have to go if we are to complete two rounds before we have to go home for New Year's Eve celebrations."

"I will let you go but you owe me a game." Roger said.

"Okay. See you later Roger." Dan said.

"Nice to meet you all." Roger said as he let them pass.

"Nice to meet you too." Harry said. The others made similar comments.

"I can't believe my brother is rubbing shoulders with the rich, powerful and famous." Robert said as soon as they were in the clear.

"What did Roger want?" Harry asked.

"I have been giving leads to his rival. He is hoping to build a relationship with me so that I will give him tips to help his career as well. But I find him a suck up and generally a not very likeable character." Dan explained.

"So you come here frequently?" Robert asked.

"Somewhat. It is a great place to meet people in a relaxed environment." Dan said.

"How much does this membership cost?" Robert asked.

"Quite a bit but not as much as some other clubs." Dan said evasively.

"What other courses?" Robert demanded.

"If you let it go. I will get you a round at St Andrews sometime." Dan offered.

"Deal." Robert replied shaking Dan hand sealing the deal. Bryce thinking this was a good opportunity to get something from his uncle.

"How did you get the membership at these clubs? Membership is very exclusive and the waiting lists are legendary." Bryce asked.

"Not that it is any of your business but if you get senior members to endorse your application then approvals is practically guarantees." Dan replied.

"How did you get the endorsements?" Bryce asked.

"A number of different ways but the most common one was to give their favourite charity a certain amount of money." Dan said.

"You bribed them." Bryce said in fake shock.

"We never gave them any money directly. There are always other ways." Dan replied.

"What other ways?" Bryce asked suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to know about." Dan stated.

"I agree." Robert added since he suspected that his brother did things that were morally questionable such as blackmail.

At the tee box, an attendant had two golf bags set up and a golf cart.

"Thank you." Dan said as he gave the attendant a tip.

"Do you need anything else, sir?" The attendant asked.

"No, we are fine." Dan replied which the attendant took as his cue to leave. Robert tried swinging the clubs from the inferior looking golf bag.

"I wish I brought my own clubs." Robert complained.

"Try mine. A golfer from the US pro circuit helped me put together this set based on my game. It is not custom made but it is close since he picked clubs from a variety of different manufacturers to ensemble this set. My game as improved exponentially after I started using these clubs." Dan offered. Robert took a club from the expensive looking golf bag and took a swing.

"Nice." Robert said.

"Harry, Bryce, have you guys played before?" Dan asked.

"No." Harry said immediately.

"We will teach you." Robert assured Harry.

"I have but dad usually makes me carry the golf clubs so I never really enjoyed it." Bryce admitted.

"Well we will not have that problem today. We will be using the golf cart." Dan said.

Harry lost eight balls during his first round of golf. He kept hitting the trees and losing track of the balls. Bryce was Harry's partner and he was more interested in talking to Harry then playing the game. Dan and Robert were trying to outdo each other. It soon became a competition between the two to see who could get the better score. In the end, Dan's familiarity with the course gave him the edge to beat his brother.

Before the second round began Robert kept suggesting a father and son play off seeing how pathetic Harry was at the game. Dan absolutely refused and teed off immediately for the second round. This time, Harry only lost two balls as his swing improved. He was still bad in comparison to the other three. At the end of this round, Robert claimed victory for his "team" while Dan kept saying it was one on one and he won. As they drove home, the two brothers were still debating who won.

When they arrived home, Robert, Bryce and Harry were shocked to see the house buzzing with activity. People were erecting signs and decorations. Security guards stopped them as they drove down the driveways.

"Your invitation please." The Security requested. Before Dan could respond a woman waved off the security guards.

"Sorry about that Dan." The woman said in apology.

"No problem, Diana." Dan said. "Let me introduce you to some of my family. This is my brother Robert, my nephew, Bryce and my son, Harry. Everyone meet Diana. She works for Greenpeace who are holding their New Year Eve's celebrations here."

"Nice to meet you all." Diana said. Sentiments that returned.

"Dan thank you again for allowing us to use your home and providing the food and refreshments." Diana said.

"No need. It was our pleasure." Dan said.

"I've got to go. A lot to do." Diana said as she left.

The party was a hit and everyone got to meet a few minor celebrities. It was too far away from the fireworks and other events for any major stars to make an appearance. However, it was still enjoyable for the attendees. Harry enjoyed it the most, since for the first time in his life he was spending New Year Eve with a family that liked him.

Diana left a couple days after New Year's. Robert and his family were supposed to leave at the same time but they decided to stay a few extra days in order to take advantage of the Grangers' library. On the day of the departure, Robert woke to an empty bed. He made his way to the library where he found his daughter, Amy and his niece, Hermione having a conversation.

"Good Morning Dad." Amy said.

"Good Morning Uncle." Hermione said.

"Good Morning Amy, Hermione. Amy, have you packed for our trip home?" Robert asked.

"I packed my bags last night and the books I want are in the boxes in the Entrance Hall." Amy replied.

"Good. Have you seen your brother or your mum?" Robert asked.

"Bryce is probably in his room playing with the computer we got for Christmas. He has not stopped since New Year's. I saw Mum was in the dining room using the other computer earlier this morning." Amy replied.

"Thanks Amy. We will be leaving after dinner." Robert said. He found his wife in the dining room like Amy suggested. Shirley was completely focused on what she was doing. Robert kissed his wife to inform her of his presence.

"Are you ready to go?" Robert asked Shirley.

"Almost." Shirley replied.

"Do you know where the car keys are?" Robert asked.

"You have them." Shirley replied.

"I am talking about to the new car." Robert said.

"Why are you asking for those?" Shirley asked as she turned to her husband.

"I thought I will drive the new car back home." Robert replied.

"I thought I was going to drive the BMW while you drive the old car. You do claim the old car was your baby." Shirley countered.

"The BMW is my new baby." Robert said. Shirley seeing the signs of an argument developing, decided a different approach.

"We flip for it." Shirley suggested.

"Okay. I will get a coin." Robert offered.

"I don't trust your coins. We let Dan or Emma select the coin and do the toss." Shirley said.

"I think they were sleeping in. Hermione is up." Robert said.

"Okay." Shirley said.

Shirley won the toss so she was driving home in the BMW. Robert reluctantly conceded and walked off in a huff. He went to Bryce's room where is found his son on the computer with nothing packed.

"We are leaving after breakfast. Start packing buster." Robert said threateningly.

"In a second." Bryce said totally focused on the computer.

"Now, Bryce!" Robert said forcefully.

"Okay." Bryce said as he started shutting down the computer.

Robert decided to move the boxes of books from the entrance hall to the car. When he arrived at the Entrance Hall, Robert was shocked by the number of boxes that Amy wanted to take with her. He was about to scream Amy but decided against it since he might wake up Dan and Emma. Needing to calm down before he talked to Amy, Robert decided to move his and Shirley's luggage into the car first.

After completing that task, Robert headed to the Dining Room for breakfast. Shirley was still packing away the computer when he arrived.

"Do you mind taking this to my car after breakfast?" Shirley asked.

"It is not your car. It is our car and you're only driving it back home." Robert said.

"So are you going help me move it?" Shirley asked expectantly.

"Yes. After breakfast." Robert replied.

Amy and Hermione arrived a little later for breakfast. As soon as Amy had started eating Robert asked.

"Are you expecting us to take all those books in the Entrance Hall home with us?"

"No. Not all of them. That is why I numbered the boxes so the more important ones are in the box labelled one." Amy replied.

"If you want we can send you the rest of the boxes?" Hermione offered.

"Can you?" Amy asked with delight.

"I don't think we have the room back home to fit all the books." Robert added.

"We could have a big shed built in your backyard with one of our power panels by the time you got home." Hermione stated.

"That must be expensive." Robert said uncertainly.

"Not really. We have people who owe us quite a few favours." Hermione said.

"Let me talk to your dad when he gets up." Robert said.

"That might be a while. He, Mum and Harry are sleeping in to avoid getting in your way." Hermione said.

"Where is Bryce?" Shirley asked a little later.

"Hopefully, in his room packing." Robert replied.

"He is still packing?" Shirley said in surprise.

"Yes. He was on the computer again." Robert said.

"I will help him pack after I finish my breakfast." Shirley said.

Dan, Emma and Harry came down for Breakfast just as Robert was finishing up.

"Hermione informed me that you can have a shed built cheaply." Robert said. Dan looked at his daughter who began whispering in his ear.

"Yes, we can. All it would cost would be some nails and some paint. But it will have to be today." Dan replied.

"Are you sure?" Robert asked.

"We have a few installers of our power panels in the area today. They can build the shed and install one of our demonstration models before you get home." Dan said.

"Okay but if you do this I owe you lunch." Robert said.

"Agreed." Dan said. Amy was ecstatic. While Hermione quietly went off to get Dobby and the other house elves to build the shed.

Bryce took so long to pack that they delayed their departure until after lunch. At lunch, Bryce asked.

"We have so much stuff to take home that not all of it is going to fit. Would it not better if I drive grandma's old car, so we can have extra space?"

"Not happening." Shirley said.

"Why not? It is the perfect solution." Bryce said.

"The car is a wreck." Robert said.

"I think I can manage." Bryce said.

"It is not safe." Shirley said.

"Then dad can drive grandma's car and I can drive our old car." Bryce suggested.

"I am not letting you wreck that car." Robert said.

"I am not going to wreck the car." Bryce said.

"What I am trying to say is that you are not experienced enough behind the wheel for us to trust you with such an expensive vehicle. If it was your vehicle that is another matter." Shirley said.

"Uncle Dan, Aunty Emma. Any chance of you getting me a cheap car?" Bryce asked.

"Keep us out of this." Dan said quickly.

The argument continued until they got into the two cars and drove off.

A/N Sorry for the long delay. I got busy then came down with the flu. Thought I recovered only to develop a cough.

I wish to thank old-crow (a fellow writer who is way better than me so check out her stuff) for her advice. Next chapter will either be a summary of what has happened so far or include a summary.

I would also like to thank my beta for sticking with me.

Thank you for all your reviews and comments. They are appreciated.


	55. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

There were only two days remaining in the school holidays after Robert and his family left. The first thing they did was swap their proper presents. These presents were magical which was why they could not exchange them in the presence of the extended family. Harry received a Nimbus 2000 broomstick from Dan and Emma. Hermione got Crookskanks from her parents. Sirius gave Harry a pocketknife that could open any lock while Hermione received a moleskin pouch.

Later that evening, Emma and Dan decided to watch a movie in the living room. Harry realized this as the perfect opportunity to give Hermione her betrothal ring. He raced to his room to get the ring that Emma helped pick out.

Hermione was in the library and as always, totally absorbed in a book. Harry knocked on the door so that Hermione would not be shocked by Harry's presence.

"Hi Harry. Do you need something?" Hermione asked.

"Can I talk to you?" Harry asked. Hermione put away her book and turned to Harry.

"You have my full attention." Hermione said with a smile.

Harry went down on one knee in front of Hermione and said.

"Will you be my betrothed?" Harry said as he presented her the ring. Hermione hugged Harry enthusiastically.

"Yes." Hermione said as she offered Harry her hand. Harry put the ring on her finger.

"The ring has a four carat emerald surrounded by smaller precious stones. There are enough protections on this ring to stop most minor curses and hexes." Harry said.

"I love it." Hermione said and hugged Harry again.

"I wanted to give it to you earlier but I did not want to explain it to your relatives." Harry said.

"That's alright." Hermione said as she held Harry.

They spent the rest of the evening in the library talking.

The next day began with a meeting with Grant to catch up.

"So how are the various negotiations going?" Harry asked.

"The centaurs agreed to ally themselves with us almost immediately. They did not know that Hagrid was responsible for the acromantulas. Now that they know, he and Dumbledore have been banned from the forbidden forest. If the centaurs see them, they are going to be in world of pain since we have given them basilisk fang arrow heads. Hagrid's giant skin maybe tough but the arrow heads will pierce it like it is butter." Grant informed them.

"I feel bad for Hagrid but I understand where the centaurs are coming from." Harry said.

"Will it be possible to include Professor Snape in the ban?" Hermione asked since she knew that Snape harvested some illegal potion ingredients from the forbidden forest.

"I will pass the request to them. They will probably agree with the request." Grant said.

"Will the people who are banned from the Forbidden Forest be informed of the ban?" Harry asked.

"They will probably shoot them in the leg with a warning attached. At least they are not killing them on sight." Grant said.

"How about the Outcast negotiations?" Hermione asked.

"We are making progress but it will take some time to reach an agreement." Grant informed them.

"But they are helping us deal with the goblins?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. They are helping us with the goblins. So far we have been able to cope with all the moves that the goblins make against us. It is just a matter of time before the goblins make a move that we cannot deal with. In all likelihood the move will be in Europe where they are strong and we are weak." Grant said.

"Don't worry. In a couple of months we will begin negotiating with the Goblins from a position of strength." Hermione assured Grant.

"I hope you are right because I have been turning down many opportunities to begin negotiating with them." Grant said.

"We are just letting them sweat for a bit before we begin negotiating." Hermione said.

"Okay." Grant said.

"Have started talking to Mr Ollivander?" Harry asked.

"We did approach Mr Ollivander and he was very receptive. It seems that Dumbledore has been making progressively more outrageous demands. These demands have been pushing him closer to leaving. Our offer just sweetens the deal. He plans to leave the country on the same day that Hogwarts starts back up. He is hoping that people would not notice his absence immediately due to all the other activity." Grant said.

"What were the demands?" Harry asked.

"At first, Dumbledore wanted him to repair his wand. When Mr Ollivander said he could not, Dumbledore still demanded he try. When the attempt failed like Ollivander knew it would, Dumbledore tried to force Mr Ollivander to recreate a legendary wand. Mr Ollivander is delaying Dumbledore but he hopes to leave before Dumbledore loses patience." Grant explained.

"Was the wand that Dumbledore wanted Mr Ollivander to recreate the Elder Wand also known as the Death Stick?" Harry asked.

"How did you know?" Grant asked in surprise.

"We have our sources." Harry said mysteriously. "Have you been to capture Greyback the werewolf yet?"

"We have not been able do it because there are few remaining werewolves in Britain. We have relocated most of them and the ones that are left lack organisation of any type. So information from these werewolves is not very helpful." Grant admitted.

"Speaking of locating things, I am wondering if it is possible for our security forces to capture a Dementor for me..." Hermione asked.

"I will see what we can do for you." Grant replied without giving a definite answer. "Is there anything else I need to do?"

"No, that is all." Hermione said. Harry, Dan and Emma shook their heads to indicate they had no other requests. Grant left to attend another meeting. Emma decided that it was a good time to have lunch. Everyone seemed to agree with her. Just as they were about to pack away the dishes the phone rang. Dan happened to be the closest to the phone so he answered.

"Hi Dan." Robert said in greeting.

"Hi Robert, Miss us already?" Dan said in jest.

"As if..." Robert countered. "I could last years without seeing your ugly mug or hear your whiny voice."

"My voice is not whiny." Dan said indignantly. "So why are you calling?"

"I am phoning because we are concerned about the structure you built for us." Robert replied.

"Are you worried that the building is not safe?" Dan asked.

"Quite the opposite actually. We were expecting a small shed in the backyard. Instead we got a massive two story building attached to our garage. If we could hook up the water then it would make the perfect granny flat." Robert explained.

"It seems they did a brilliant job from the sound of it. What is the problem? Is the building too big for your liking?" Dan asked.

"They did a brilliant job. I don't know how they were able to complete the project in one day, especially with its oak frame. We love the building. In fact, Bryce and Amy both want to move in. The problem is that we are worried that it will have to pull it down due to the lack of council & building approvals." Robert replied.

"We are glad you like it. The approvals will be no problem. I will have to call in a few favours but I will send you the necessary paperwork next month." Dan assured Robert.

"I appreciate it." Robert replied. "By the way, are the builders available for another job? We want to expand our garage to fit the extra car."

"Sorry but they are busy. If you going away next holiday season, I will see if they can fit you into their busy schedule." Dan offered.

"Why does it have to be when we are away?" Robert asked with concern.

"It is because the builders are very secretive about their methods. They don't like clients looking over their shoulder or changing their minds." Dan explained.

"I can understand that, I wish I could do the same with my clients." Robert said.

"If you want my builders to do the work then apply for building applications and develop a comprehensive building plan including building materials and colour scheme. We will take care of the rest including building inspectors." Dan said.

"That sounds great. I will send you everything after Bryce and Amy finish their exams this year." Robert replied.

"Looking forward to it." Dan said.

"Bye for now." Robert said in farewell.

"You too Robert." Dan said as he hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" Emma asked.

"It was Robert. They loved the shed the house elves built. It was a lot bigger than what everyone expected." Dan replied. He turned to Hermione and asked. "By the way, do you know how the house elves were able to build such a large shed without being noticed by the neighbours?"

"I will ask Dobby." Hermione replied before calling for Dobby.

"Yes. Mistress Hermy." Dobby said in greeting.

"Good work on the shed you built for my uncle Robert." Hermione said in praise. Dobby looked ecstatic at the praise. "Do you mind telling us how you performed all the work without getting noticed by the neighbours?"

"That was simple. We put up a lot of notice me not spells and conjured a massive tent to hide our work until we were done." Dobby replied scared that he did something wrong.

"That was brilliant." Hermione said, erasing Dobby's concerns.

"Thank you, Mistress Hermy." Dobby said happily.

"Can all house elves can build houses?" Dan asked Dobby.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"The shed was practically a two storey house." Dan said as he turned to Dobby for his answer.

"We learnt a lot from the work that Doug did on the three houses. There are stuff live wards and enchantments that we cannot do but a basic house is no problem." Dobby replied.

"Could you build something bigger?" Harry asked.

"We could if you allowed us to buy the materials." Dobby replied.

"I have a project for you. Do you know the Grangers old home?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I am familiar with it, Master Harry sir." Dobby

"Do you think you could build something in the backyard? You will have to remove the swimming pool." Harry asked.

"We can do that." Dobby replied.

Harry, Hermione, Dan, Emma and Dobby discussed the expansion of the Grangers old home. This expansion would allow the library to fit.

"So Alice and her mother will have to work here during the duration of the renovation?" Emma said.

"We will probably have to move all the things in the tents here too. In fact anything that does not fit the current library would have to be moved to here." Hermione added.

"We are going to have to either cancel or reschedule some events that were going to be held here." Dan added.

"Why don't we talk to Alice, her mum and Emily before we finalise our plans?" Harry suggested.

"We can hold the meeting tomorrow." Hermione added.

"We should add Jake to the meeting so that we know how he is progressing." Harry said.

"Okay." Emma said.

"I will contact Jake." Harry offered.

"I will contact Alice and the other girls." Hermione said.

"That sounds great. Since Dan and I have to meet with some people in regards various properties we are interested in." Emma said.

"Is it that part of Grant's job?" Hermione asked.

"We have decided to relieve him of that duty because he is busy enough with his other duties. It is an important area especially since you told us that there is a global property collapse in the near future." Dan explained.

"You know there are other disasters before that like the dot-com bubble and Enron?" Hermione said.

"Yes and we are prepared for them already. If it turns out the way it did in your future then we will come out ahead. It is our activities creating new bubbles that concern us. The price of oil, carbon and gold has already fallen from our activity. For example there are companies that are investing millions in battery technologies that did not do so previously. In fact we don't know if Enron would crash since the entire power industry has changed." Emma explained.

"Has our impact on the price of oil been so great?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"You would not believe how much. Our logistics company has cut its oil consumption by over 70 percent. We have plans to reach 95 percent in the near future. Our mining companies have already reached that goal without even trying. When you consider the number of big trucks and mining machinery involved in that industry that is a significant reduction in demand. We are expanding our market share in both areas so the demand for oil in those industries will continue to fall. Especially in the mining industry as our power generation operations are identifying new mineral deposits for us.

Overall this does not have a very big impact on the global demand for oil, especially since households are the biggest consumers of oil with their cars. What does have an impact according to our market analysis is the fact that our companies do not hedge the oil price like other companies in our industries. This has a negative impact on competition in the derivative markets for oil thus reducing the price of oil. Combine that with the fact that wealthy Europeans are replacing their diesel/petrol generators with our power generators. The sale of the excess electricity from these generators makes electric heaters more economical than oil ones. Eventually this will lead to a reduction in the importance of oil. At that point stockpiles of oil are not so critical leading to a reduction in the price governments are willing to pay for their oil.

What is interesting is that the Middle East and Northern Africa are becoming less important. Outside influences in these countries will disappear as there are no incentives for them to be there. The reports say those uprisings/unrest are likely as they are forced to deal with domestic issues before more stable and democratic governments become established." Emma summarised the report she read.

"So basically you saying that we are driving the price down and the wars in the Middle East might not occur." Harry said as he got bored by the explanation.

"Basically." Emma admitted.

"Do you think that is why we have not experienced too many bureaucratic road blocks?" Hermione asked after some thought.

"That makes sense and it explains why we had to fill in fewer forms for our US immigration and why our background check went through so quickly." Emma said as she realised what Hermione was talking about.

"What are you guys talking about?" Dan asked

"We think that due to our company's importance to the country's future energy security, the US State department is discretely helping us overcome bureaucratic hurdles." Emma replied.

"Then why is our migration application still being processed?" Harry asked.

"They are probably are trying to be discrete so that we don't realise our importance." Hermione said.

"That sounds reasonable." Dan admitted.

The next day, they met with Alice, her family, and Emily. This meeting was held at the Grangers new home. After the exchange of greetings, Emma said.

"Thank you all for coming. After hearing your complaints about the lack of space at our home, we have decided to embark on a new renovation project. This time a new building will be built in our old backyard. We did not do this previously because we did not expect the library to be this large,"

"Where are we going to work during this expansion?" Alice asked.

"Here. We will show you later where you will work and where to put the things that can not fit in the current library." Emma said.

"You are going love it." Hermione assured them.

"We are going to have trouble moving you out." Dan joked.

"Moving on..." Emma said. "Jake how are you progressing with the project?"

"It is going slow. Finding the ward stones is proving difficult as they are usually well hidden. Once a stone is found, I have to manually carve the runes onto the ward stone and finally I have to cast the magically draining Fidelius charm." Jake replied.

"So how long do you think you will take to complete the project?" Emma asked.

"Worst case scenario six months, but probably closer to four months." Jake replied.

"That sounds reasonable." Harry said.

"Emily what are you doing now?" Emma asked.

"My main project is to create a version of the Vanishing Cabinet which we can mass produce. Whenever our research projects reach an impasse I take a look in the library. I have often found the solution is in one of the restricted books or books they have not received yet." Emily said.

"We heard you are spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement. What are you doing in there?" Hermione asked.

"Oh. Whenever those projects want to test something. I do it for them." Emily admitted.

"Can someone take over those duties? I have a new project for you." Hermione asked.

"I can help?" Alice's mum said as she was tired of copying books.

"Okay. Emily I want you to start looking for practitioners of different forms of magic and try to get them to teach our employees their form of magic." Hermione said.

"How do I convince them?" Emily asked with concern.

"Offer them money." Hermione said as if it was obvious.

"What is my budget?" Emily asked.

"That will depend on the person. You will be in constant contact with dad to discuss offers and for your own safety. If you or dad does not think you can handle the person then Grant's negotiators can be used." Hermione said.

"That sounds interesting." Emily said excitedly.

"You can sort out the details with dad after this meeting. Keep an eye out and if you come across any interesting books, please pick them up." Hermione said.

"Okay." Emily said while thinking about this upcoming project.

"I say that we have lost Emily, why don't we conclude for today." Emma said.

Summary

Prologue Harry and Hermione find out that they have been spelled and potioned to their eyeballs by Dumbledore and the Weasleys. They decide to return to the past in order to get justice and correct magical society's ills.

Chapter 1 They return to their eleven year old bodies and begin their plans. Remus is recruited to sell stuff from the Room of Requirement.

Chapter 2 On the Train ride to Hogwarts, Harry swaps Scabbers for a lookalike rat and buys the Marauders Map from the twins.

Chapter 3 They get sorted into Ravenclaw. Harry meets Dumbledore and demands his invisible cloak back.

Chapter 4 Harry gets back his father's invisible cloak. Dumbledore offers Harry a closer relationship which he rejects.

Chapter 5 Harry hypnotises Snape when the Professor tries to read Harry's mind. Turning Snape into an unwilling pawn. They move Ravenclaw's diadem to a safe location.

Chapter 6 Hermione and Harry use pranks to keep people off their backs. They also strike a deal with Rita Skeeter to destroy Dumbledore's image and protect Harry's.

Chapter 7 Harry takes control of the Basilisk.

Chapter 8 Harry wrecks havoc on the mind of Voldemort while he is in his weaken state. Learning a lot in the process.

Chapter 9 Remus relationship with Harry becomes strained when he lets Dumbledore seize Basilisk parts that he was suppose to sell.

Chapter 10 Harry and Hermione deal with the troll. Snape gets severely injured.

Chapter 11 They raid Voldemort's emergency stashes and Harry gets backup wands.

Chapter 12 Harry interrogates Wormtail and takes Voldemort's wand.

Chapter 13 The troll is reported in the newspaper which leads to a confrontation with Dumbledore. Poppy, Sprout and Flitwick become their allies after loyalty charms are removed.

Chapter 14 An investigation of the troll incident is conducted which concluded that Dumbledore and Quirrell were negligent in their duties. Wormtail is handed over to the authorities.

Chapter 16 The staff becomes divided. All the instruments monitoring or tracking Harry is destroyed. Sirius is declared innocent.

Chapter 17 They make a deal with Lucius Malfoy and also steal the Elder Wand without Dumbledore realising.

Chapter 18 They get Dobby.

Chapter 19 The Grangers buy a new place.

Chapter 20 Harry and Hermione receive Order of Merlin Awards third class and Special Services Awards. They meet Sirius.

Chapter 21 Sirius meets the others and they get Black Manor.

Chapter 22 The Grangers get temporary custody of Harry in the non-magical world.

Chapter 23 A new school is built in the US.

Chapter 24 Dumbledore tries to stop Harry's non-magical adoption but fails and loses a supporter in the process. Ron and Neville begin training with Dumbledore.

Chapter 25 The Grangers finish renovating their new home.

Chapter 27 Harry non-magical adoption is finalised. Dursleys start facing the consequences of some of their actions. Harry has another confrontation with Dumbledore.

Chapter 28 They destroy Dumbledore's hideout.

Chapter 29 Kingsley and Moody try to kidnap Harry on behalf of Dumbledore but fail. After their failure Dumbledore is unable to help them due to his own problems. Sirius gets magical custody of Harry and Hermione.

Chapter 30 The Muggle Protection Act is passed with a few amendments assisting non-pureblood people to leave the country. Dung is sent to prison even with the protection of Dumbeldore. They move the locket and the Horcrux ring to a safe location.

Chapter 33 Lucius gets a new house elf called Moppy. Azhaban is destroyed along with most of the dementors.

Chapter 35 Ginny and Ron get blocked from the 9 ¾ platform and fly to Hogwarts instead getting them into massive trouble. Ginny is then trapped in the second floor girls toilet.

Chapter 37 Ginny is planted by Harry at the three Broomstick drunk and with a fake diary (the real one is now kept with the other Horcruxes). This leads to a general inspection of everyone's belongings. Bullying of Luna is discovered.

Chapter 39 Dursley face more consequences.

Chapter 41 Myrtle agrees to be their spy on Dumbledore.

Chapter 43 Hagrid gets arrested. Ginny and Ron are suspected of being the heir of Slytherin after they start hissing in the Great Hall.

Chapter 44 The Goblins begin moving against them.

Chapter 45 Griffindor's dorms are searched. Molly lose her ability to cook.

Chapter 46 Sirius starts a newspaper.

Chapter 51 Harry and the Grangers go house shopping in the US.

Chapter 52 Karl Karkaroff is fired.

A/N Thank you for reading. Sorry for the delay but I found writing a summary of my story difficult. In the future I will probably fix up the errors I found.

I would also like to thank my Beta and my reviewers.


	56. Chapter 55

WARNING UNBETA

Chapter 55

The Malfoys were waiting for the Grangers and Harry at Kings Cross Station.

"Good Morning, Harry and Hermione." Lucius said ignoring Dan and Emma completely.

"Good Morning Mr Malfoy." Harry and Hermione replied as if in school.

"Where is your magical guardian? I really want to discuss something with him. Is he too busy to take care of his duties?" Lucius said sarcastically. Draco was trying hard not to laugh.

"Sirius had to leave the country. Something about threats against him." Harry countered.

"If Mr Black is so easy to scare away maybe he lacks the gumption to play this level of politics." Lucius said. Harry repressed his desire to defend Sirius and said instead.

"Maybe. But he did have the guts and the balls to enter an agreement with you."

"I see your point." Lucius said satisfaction. They just stood their for a minute looking at each other then Lucius said sarcastically. "Please pass on my regards next time you see him."

Lucius lead the Malfoys away from the Grangers.

"I really want to get him right now." Harry said angrily.

"Just be patient. It is not must longer. We all know what he was doing. He was hoping for a chance at Sirius." Hermione said.

"Let us get on the train and wait for the others." Harry suggested.

They made their farewells to the Grangers before they taking an empty carriage at the back of the Hogwarts Express. The Weasley twins made a surprising early appearance.

"Hail our saviour and business partner." Fred said as they appeared at Harry's cabin.

"Good to see you to too." Harry said.

"Your care packages were a life saver. Our father, Bill and Ginny really appreciate it too. Ginny would thank you herself but she will just screech and flee. Knowing how much you hate that we offered to pass on her thanks for you." George said.

"Glad to help." Harry said. "Do you wish to join us?"

"We would love to but there is money to be made. All those students with pockets filled with galleons waiting for new homes. We are moving along the train and collecting orders. That is why we are so early. Let me say that was quite a chore. You know how our family likes to be late. The only way we got them to come so early was because we threaten to prank anyone who was not ready this morning. Our parents supported us since we need the money and if we arrive late then the students might have spent their money already on the sweets." Fred explained.

"But we will pop in later." George added.

"See you guys later." Harry said. Echoed by Hermione. The twins left to take orders.

Harry and Hermione were soon joined by their friends. Before the twins returned Malfoy made another appearance. He seemed emboldened by his visit home. As usual he was accompanied by his two bookends which gave him the additional confidence.

"Potter, Granger." Malfoy said in acknowledgement of the pair. He totally ignored the other students in the cabin.

"What do you want Malofy?" Harry said irritatedly.

"Can I talk to you two alone?" Malfoy asked. Harry and Hermione looked at each other before following Malfoy to an empty cabin.

"So." Harry said impatient.

"I am here to give you a warning. Help me in class or suffer the consequences when you no longer have protection." Malfoy said.

"Is that a threat?" Harry asked.

"Your guardian can not hide forever. Once he is gone then both of you will be under my command." Malfoy said.

"What are you up to?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"You will find out." Malfoy said smugly before he left.

"What do you think he is planning?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. In all likelihood we are not going to like it." Hermione said as they proceeded back to their cabin. They found the Weasley twins already there.

"What did the albino want?" Mandy asked.

"He wanted to give us a warning." Harry replied.

"That does not sound good." Padma said.

"We know." Harry said. Seeing how depressed everyone looked, the Weasley twins decided to act.

"You should have seen mealtimes at our home. Our mother lost her ability to cook so everyone besides her and our brother, Ron were trying to avoid mealtimes. Who ever could not avoid meal times would be attempting to push more food into Ron's plate every time our mum's back was turned. At one meal, Ron's plate was so full from other people's food that he did not even need to ask for seconds from mum." George said.

"Has he gotten very fat?" Mandy asked.

"I will just say that he and Neville could look like twins now." Fred replied.

"While the rest of us have lost weigh." George said as he posed like a 1950s centrefold.

"I guess you will be joining us for lunch in an hour." Harry said.

"We would not say no." George said.

"A man after our hearts." Fred said while fluttering his eye lashes.

"Sorry to disappointment you but I am already taken." Harry said as he showed Hermione's betrothal ring off. The girls pounced and pushed Harry out of the way.

"When this happen?" Mandy asked.

"We had a preliminary agreement since first year. Sirius finalised it when he became our magical guardian. Harry did not get around to getting the ring until a little after New Years." Hermione replied.

"I thought you two were muggle raised why are you using a pureblood tradition?" Lisa asked.

"It was for Harry's protection. He is the Boy Who Lived and the Potter heir. That is a lot of political power especially when you add the Order of Merlin award on top of it. He will soon be bombarded by betrothal offers. This will shoot them all down without creating political enemies." Hermione replied.

"That makes sense. You are not a bad catch either even though you are a muggleborn. Smart, rich family and Order of Merlin recipient. You are definitely not a bad catch" Mandy said.

"Sorry Mandy but I don't think of you that way." Hermione said in jest. Causing everyone to laugh.

"How about us?" Fred asked.

"Definitely not." Hermione replied.

Fred and George tried to look disappointed but failed miserable. Resulting in another round of laughter.

Time passed as the girls began a closer inspection of the ring. Questions were being directed to both Harry and Hermione. This was interrupted when Percy made his appearance. He motioned for the twins to the corridor. When they returned, Mandy asked.

"What did the prat want to know?"

"He hopes to start a business with Harry." Fred replied.

"He begged us to ask you." George said.

"You can tell him. Definitely no." Harry said.

"That is what we told him. Since we know how much you hate him but he would not let it go. Now that the Ministry is out for him. He hopes to go into business. All through out the holidays he was suggesting new business ideas which we kept knocking him back. Now we can say that we asked you but was knocked back." Fred explained.

"He can be a test subject if he wants but that is the maximum we are willing to go with him. If I find out he has been doing the books then our deal is off." Harry said ominously. Scaring both Fred and George in the process.

"What deal?" Mandy asked.

"It is nothing." Harry said in dismissal.

"Just let it go." Hermione suggested. Mandy wanted to know more but she knew it was pointless to continue. They were renown for not backing down from a position once they decided on a course of action. Conversations then drifted to everyone else's holidays. Before dinner could commence in the great hall, Snape approached Harry and Hermione.

"I received allegations that your study group was cheating." Professor Snape said in a loud voice. Making many Slytherins snicker in the background.

"We have not been cheating. Your godson attended some of the sessions." Hermione countered.

"Some but not all the sessions. How do we know that you did not put on a special non cheating sessions whenever my godson attended?" Professor Snape said. "From now on, I will be attending every session to ensure there is no cheating.

"They are mostly my students, I should be the one supervising the sessions." Flitwick interjected.

"But you will be biased since they are your students. The allegations came to me so I intend to investigate it." Snape said forcefully.

"We will disband rather than hold it with your attendance." Harry said.

"Then you will get detention for the rest of the year and a two hundred point deduction from Ravenclaw." Snape said happily.

"That is not fair." Harry said.

"I agree." Flitwick said. "If you do that then I will give the same punishment to any Slytherin study group I find."

"Be reasonable gentlemen." Dumbledore pleaded. "Why don't we talk about this in private?"

The three professors had a private discussion before Dumbledore announced.

"Mr Potter and Miss Granger will lose fifty points from Ravenclaw and serve one month's detention with Professor Snape. Every study session that Miss Granger wants to organise must be attended by a prefect." Harry wanted to objected but Hermione stopped him.

"Everyone satisfied?" Dumbledore asked. Daphne, Tracey, Draco and quite a few Slytherins had smug looks on their faces. Professor Flitwick nodded. So did Snape. Harry did so with much reluctance. Hermione agreed.

"Okay let the feast begin." Dumbledore said.

Once Harry and Hermione were alone.

"Why did you agree to the deal?" Harry asked. "It makes us look guilty."

"They are trying to force Sirius to reveal himself in order to protect us. That was what the scene was all about. We now have no protection unless Sirius forces the issue. Dumbledore acted the way he did in order to try to gain our trust. Flitwick is still on our side but his power is limited now. But we can use this situation to our advantage." Hermione explained.

"What do you mean use it to our advantage?" Harry asked.

"We have control over Professor Snape which we can not use in public or else Dumbledore might work out what we are doing. During the detentions we can continue our research without interruption. We can also inform Snape about Myrtle and the Chamber of secrets while telling him to disregard it. This way we can claim we inform the authorities and they can be blamed for doing nothing." Hermione said. Harry smiled at the thought.

"Do you think the allegations originated from Daphne and Tracey?" Harry asked.

"Most definitely. They did threaten to report us on the train back last term. Then first day back, Snape tries to intimidate us. That is too big coincidence. " Hermione replied.

"How are we going to get them back for this?" Harry asked.

"I leave that in your capable hands. If you want you can get the Weasley Twins involved. Then by all means, I will not stop you." Hermione suggested. Harry was already planning on what to do to Daphne and Tracey. As they left the empty classroom, Percy approached them and asked.

"What were you doing in there?"

"Having a private discussion." Harry replied.

"Students are not suppose to go into empty classrooms without permission. That will be 10 points from Ravenclaw. Don't do it again." Percy warned . You could tell he was happy about punishing Harry but was trying not to show it. As they left, Harry whispered to Hermione.

"It looks like he is pissed that we do not want to go into partnership with him." Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Am I allowed to get him too?" Harry asked hopefully. He only asked as Hermione was in charge of the big picture while Harry was better at reacting to problems as they arise.

"No. That was his only free pass but if he continues to annoy us then you can do what you like to him." Hermione replied which resulted in Harry giving her a wide smile.

"Don't even think of taunting him to get an excuse." Hermione warned.

"Damn." Harry said pretending to throw a tantrum.

"You are behaving like Draco." Hermione said which immediately stopped Harry.

The next evening, Harry and Hermione reported to Snape's office for detention. As they entered, Snape was smiling at them as he imagined the different tortures he could legally perform on them.

"Come in. Tonight you will be sorting the ingredients cupboard by hand without magic." Snape said gleefully. Harry immediately snapped his fingers and Snape was in a hypnotic trance.

"You are going sort the ingredients yourself." Harry said.

"Yes. Potter." Snape said while still in a trance.

"You are going to let us study and not tell anyone anything you hear or see." Harry said.

"Yes Potter." Snape replied.

"Begin the sorting." Harry said. Snape started sorting the ingredients cupboard.

"We should start our research." Harry suggested. Hermione nodded and they began to work.

A little later, Hermione needed an book from the Restricted section of the library. So Harry made Snape write a request for the book in order to get it from the library. By curfew, they made a lot of progress in their research and Snape was still sorting the ingredients cupboard. Just before they left Harry said to Snape.

"You will tell everyone that at first you had us sort your ingredients but decided to get us to help you with your research instead."

"Yes Potter." Snape replied while still in a hypnotic trance.

"You are going to remember what Hermione says but disregard and report it to no one."

"Yes Potter." Snape replied. Harry snapped his fingers waking Snape from his trance.

"We suspect that the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets is in Moaning Myrtle's toilet. Can you please investigate it?" Hermione requested.

"I will look into that." Snape lied as Harry suggested.

A few days later, Hermione held her first study session since the break. She would have held it earlier but Percy had started following them had put her off. Seeing that they could not get rid of him, Hermione decided to hold the study session anyway.

So just after the last class of the day and before dinner everyone gathered for the session. Padma and Mandy had been able to convince Penny to attend to provide the required supervision. When Penny arrived, Hermione approached her.

"Thank you for coming Penny. If you want you can skip this session as we have a prefect already?" Hermione said as she indicated Percy who was sitting at the back of the room.

"Has Percy agreed to be your study session supervisor?" Penny asked hopefully. She did not want to attend these study sessions as she was preparing for her NEWTS next year.

"Only for today." Hermione said and then whispered "Hopefully." making Penny laugh.

"See you next time." Penny said as she left.

Once everyone had arrived. Hermione announced.

"Today we are going to be working on our magical defence. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one responded.

"Percy, will you be participating in the session or just observing?" Hermione asked. Percy thought for a second and decided that a little extra practice in Defence against the Dark Arts would not go astray. Especially with all the crap DADA teachers they had over the years.

"Thank you for asking. I think I will be participating today." Percy replied.

"Okay. Today we will be holding a general battle with everyone working in teams of two. Since Hannah and Su are our weakest members at the moment they would be paired with Harry and myself. Everyone find a partner." Hermione announced.

While everyone was deciding on teams, Hermione and Harry were warding the room so that the battle did not cause any damage and also silencing the room so that no one outside would hear anything. Everyone then transfigured their robes temporarily to indicate which team they were on. Percy was partnered with Michael Corner to the delight of Harry and Hermione.

"The winner of the battle will be the team with a member that armed, conscious and able to speak. If you wish to quit the game then you can use the silencing spell on yourselves or drop your wand. Any questions?" Hermione said.

"What spells are we allowed to use?" Percy asked.

"Everything except unforgivables or anything that can cause permanent damage. Any other questions? No. Let us get ready." Hermione said. The teams break away to various defensive vantage points.

"Begin." Hermione yells.

Spells immediately criss-cross the room at a furious pace. It looked like some sort of laser display. A few minutes into the battle, Michael Corner fired a stunner at Harry. Since it was Percy's partner firing the spell, Harry used the Elder wand to reflect the stunner back at Michael before sending his own. Michael Corner's shield was destroyed by his own stunner and was hit in the chest by Harry's stunner knocking him out for good.

Once Michael Corner was down, Harry sent a sticking charm to Percy's wand using the Elder wand so that he could not be disarmed.

"No more stupify spells because if a person gets hit by too many at the same time, it can cause permanent damage." Harry announced from behind a table he was using for cover.

Hermione took the announcement as an indication that Percy's partner was taken out. She looked for Percy and found him hiding behind a desk at the back corner of the room. Once she got a clear shot, Hermione fired the two new spells she learnt during the break. When they hit Percy, his scream drew the attention of the remaining combatants. A variety of different spells rained down on the prefect with no perceptible effect. It seems the combination of spells that Percy was under had made him immune to any other curses.

Percy was screaming in agony as he experienced the pains of child labour. This was on top of the blood flowing from his arse (since he has no uterus) to simulate a woman's monthly. Every time a spell hit him, he did not react as the pain he was experiencing was overwhelming any other response. The deluge of spells striking Percy tapered off as people continued to battle to the accompaniment of Percy's screams.

In the end only Harry, Hermione, Hannah, Su and Percy remained in the game. Harry and Hermione deliberately dragged out the game to prolong Percy's agony. Their justification was that this was payback for his involvement in protecting the pureblood privileges in their future.

An hour after the game began, Harry and Hermione agreed to end it. Hermione surrendered her wand and Percy was knocked unconscious. Knocking Percy unconscious was quite a feat. Harry had to fire multiple finites and finally a stunner.

As soon as Hermione woke Percy, he raced out the classroom and returned within minutes with Professor Snape.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, please come here." Snape announced from the doorway of the classroom.

"Is there problem, Professor?" Harry asked innocently when they were in the corridor.

"We will talk about it when we see the headmaster." Snape replied.

As they made their way to the headmaster's office, Hermione would distract Percy while Harry hypnotise Snape to back them. When they reached the headmaster's office, Snape pretended to try to get past the Gargoyle.

"It seems like Professor Dumbledore is not in his office." Snape announced.

"We can wait for him to return." Percy suggested.

"You still have not told us what this is about. If you don't want to tell then we will just go." Harry said.

"Mr Weasley here has accused you of torturing him. The blood on his robes support his claim." Snape informed them.

"We did not no such no thing." Harry exclaimed in denial.

"What do you want to do? Dinner is starting soon and you can't dress like that to dinner." Snape asked Percy.

"How about we take this matter to Professor McGonagall?" Percy suggested.

"No." Harry objected. "She is your head of house so is therefore bias."

"How about Professor Sprout?" Snape suggested.

"Fine." Percy said angrily as he was not really satisfied. He wanted Professor Dumbledore to be the judge so that he could get them expelled.

"Fine." Harry said.

As soon as they entered Professor Sprout's office, Percy said immediately while pointing at Harry and Hermione.

"They put me under the Crucio curse for god knows how long which is why there is blood on my robes." Everyone could tell, Percy made first move to get Professor Sprout on side as quickly as possible.

"It was not the Crucio curse. If it was then you would be insane by now. You were just hit by a diarrhoea curse which malfunction due to how uptight you are." Harry said in explanation.

"I have to agree with Potter. There is no way he is competent enough to cast such an advanced curse." Snape said.

"I will judge for myself." Professor Sprout announced. She started casting spells over Percy and before checking Harry and Hermione's wand.

"You were definitely not hit by the crucio curse. I don't know what spell stuck you but they did not cast it." Professor Sprout announced once she completed her investigation.

"I still want them punished for what they did to me." Percy said.

"What did they do wrong?" Snape asked.

"They held a magical battle without limits." Percy said.

"Their were limits. No unforgivables or spells that can cause permanent damage. Anyway, you agreed to join, you could have stopped it before it started." Hermione countered.

"They should have stopped the battle when I started screaming." Percy said.

"We did not know if you were real or some sort of diversion to give you an advantage. You could have surrendered any time." Hermione said.

"I was in too much pain to surrender." Percy said.

"It seems like no one did anything wrong. What happened to Mr Weasley was just an accident." Professor Sprout decided.

"I agree." Snape said.

"But..." Percy said objection.

"Are we dismissed? It is almost dinner time." Harry asked.

"You are dismissed." Professor Sprout said. Harry and Hermione raced out since it was a very close call. They still heard Percy complaining as they left.

A/N Sorry for the delay. Thank you for reading and especially your reviews.


	57. Chapter 56

Warning Unbetaed!

Chapter 56

A day later, Harry and Hermione were having "detention" with Professor Snape. They enjoyed these detentions as they got to study in peace with the addition entertainment of watching Professor Snape sort his own potion ingredients.

No one dared come and interrupt Snape during these detentions after he yelled at a student until they cried. The Slytherins students hated the fact that their detentions with Snape were being reassigned to Filch.

During this particular detention, Harry was tired of researching and Snape was sorting some harmless potion ingredient. So he started looking through Snape's office, when he came across orders for Snape's potion business. Harry called Hermione over.

"Hermione, Snape is making something for Lady Vixen." Harry exclaimed.

"Who is Lady Vixen?" Hermione asked. Harry immediately look around guiltily.

"It is not a who but a what. I will just say that it is a business providing adult entertainment." Harry said in embarrassment.

"So how do you know about it?" Hermione demanded.

"It is where we held my bachelor party." Harry said softly while blushing.

"So it was a strip joint." Hermione said dismissively as she did not even want to think about what happened last time.

"Actually it is a brothel." Harry admitted.

"What sort of potions are they requesting?" Hermione asked. Harry looked closely at the order.

"They want some more of the Professor McGonagall polyjuice. It seems like it is a regular order and very popular amongst clients who like being dominated." Harry replied.

"We should pass that tipbit onto Sirius. Imagine what fun he would have with that." Hermione suggested.

"Maybe we should swap the hairs he had gathered from McGonagall to her animigus form?" Harry countered. Hermione cringed at the memory of their second year disaster the first time round.

"It would be crude to the ladies who work their. They have a hard enough life as it is." Hermione said.

"Let us see what other orders he has received?" Harry suggested as he continued looking through the orders.

"This order is for Amortentia." Harry exclaimed.

"Who is it keyed to?" Hermione asked.

"According to this order form, it is keyed to Marcus Flint to be given to Cho and Marietta. It looks like Flint likes them young." Harry replied as a plan began developing.

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked.

"I was thinking of changing the names for the targets to Daphne and Tracey." Harry replied. After some thought, he added. "I will also swap the samples so that the girls get infatuated by Professor McGonagall and the clients get a surprise when their ladies transform into Flint rather than McGonagall."

"That is brilliant. I was going to say just changing the names might be a bit crude but changing the samples as well is pure genius." Hermione said.

"I will take care of it while you make sure Snape does not remember this discussion." Harry suggests.

"Okay." Hermione said as she prepared to obliviate Snape.

The next day, Hermione held another study session. Percy was still following them around but refused to have anything to do with Hermione's study sessions. When Hermione asked Percy to join her session, he ran away. So to fulfil the requirement for Prefect supervision, Susan and Hannah were able to convince Cedric to attend.

A very reluctant Cedric arrived with Susan and Hannah. Cedric's bookbag was filled with study materials for his OWLs. He took a seat in the back and started organising his notes expecting the session to be a total waste of time.

"Thank you everyone for coming." Hermione said once everyone arrived. "I would like to especially thank Cedric Diggory for agreeing to be our Prefect supervisor."

Everyone in the room clapped in appreciation. Cedric just nodded his head to acknowledge the applause before resuming his study.

"Today we will be focusing on Potions beginning with Polyjuice." Hermione announced. Cedric immediately put up his hand to ask a question.

"Yes, Cedric." Hermione said.

"Why are you studying Polyjuice when it is not a second year potion?" Cedric asked with interest.

"Professor Snape is a pathetic teacher. He could not teach a dog how to fetch. To make up for his failure, the Ministry had to lower its requirements to pass OWL and NEWT level potions. Britain has now got the lowest requirements for passing potions. It is not even recognised overseas any more. Internationally, Polyjuice is usually considered a third year potion. So we are slightly ahead of the trend but not by much." Hermione explained. Everyone was surprised with this statement. They knew Snape could not teach but did not realised that things were that bad.

"How do we compare on the international scale on the other subjects?" Padma asked.

"For Transfiguration, Herbology and charms, we are either on average or ever so slightly above it. The rest of the world beats us on all other subjects." Hermione replied.

"So we are getting a sub-par education at Hogwarts!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Not sub-par. More like not up to international standards but when do we ever care about what the rest of the world thinks of us." Hermione said to try to pacify everyone.

"So which school is the best?" Padma asked. This made everyone quiet down and pay attention.

"It depends on your criteria. Durmstrang is the best in potions and defence. Beauxbatons for social studies like history, magical government and muggle studies. This excludes the schools from the so call new world since Europe pretty much ignores them. The recent explosion in growth in these "new world" countries could change that. There is talk that schools in the US could surpass all the current leaders in a few years. The professors from these schools are dominating the recognised journals in every field." Hermione stated.

"If you were to transfer where would you go?" Padma asked. She did not like the thought of getting a second rate education.

"I prefer not to answer that. Why don't you research it yourself and decide?" Hermione suggested. "A word of advise. If you intend to research this area, I would recommend that you look for materials that originate outside of Britain. The information you would find in Britain is bias to Hogwarts."

"Would it not be true regardless of where we get the materials from. France will be bias to their local school, Beauxbatons." Mandy countered.

"Other countries ministries are not as controlling as the British. Dumbledore ensure this by introducing that legislation to ban all so call dark materials or materials that do not put Britain in a good light." Hermione replied.

"What is the legislation?" Mandy asked.

"You can look up yourself. It was introduced in 1982 by Dedalus Diggle with support from Dumbledore. Enough of that let us move on. Please turn to Polyjuice section of the booklet we gave you earlier this year." Hermione said as she handed Cedric one of the spare copies.

"We are not going to be brewing that potion as it takes at least a month to prepare. Instead we are going to analyse each step. Before we brew something else for the Practical portion of the session. Any questions." Hermione said.

"Are we going to stick to the standard potion or the improved version?" Hannah asked.

"What improved potion?" Hermione asked in surprised.

"I read in the potions journal that my mum receives that there is a new potion that lasts longer than the standard one." Hannah replied.

"Do you remember what changes were made to achieve it?" Hermione asked with interest.

"I can't remember all the changes. What I do know is that it was written by some American and they changed Lacewing flies to Lacewings maggots."

"That would increase the potency of the potion. Did they reduce or lengthen the stewing period? "

"I don't remember. My mum can send it to me if you want." Hannah offered.

"That sounds great. Why don't we try to work out what they did since we know one change?" Hermione suggested. "Then we can compare with the actual formula when Hannah receives it."

"They must have shorten the brewing time as maggots are more potent then flies." Padma stated.

"But it takes longer for a potion to be infused with its transforming essence when dealing with maggots rather than flies." Su countered.

"I agree." Hermione added. "How much extra time is needed to draw out the essence?"

The rest of the theoretical session was devoted to speculating on what changes they did to the polyjuice potion. Cedric learnt a lot from the discussion. His understanding of the purpose of each step in the brewing process greatly increased. When the practical portion of the session commenced, Cedric learnt how to pick potion ingredients (the fresher, the better), how to clean his potion equipment and how to identify correctly done potions using his senses.

At the end of the session, Cedric approached Hermione.

"Great lesson." Cedric said enthusiastically.

"Thank you for agreeing to attend. It would not have been possible if you had not agreed to be our supervisor." Hermione countered.

"Well I learnt a lot from your class today." Cedric said. "How did you get so good in potions or all the other magical subjects for that matter?"

"That is a secret. If you earn my trust I might tell you." Hermione lied as she had no intention of ever telling Cedric.

"I will try to earn your trust." Cedric said. "When are you holding your next class?"

"I was thinking of holding it everyday at the same time." Hermione said. "I can't attend every day. But I can probably do once every two days." Cedric offered.

"That sounds great." Hermione replied.

"See you then." Cedric said abstractly. He was trying to work out what to tell his friends and the other Prefects about the session. They would not believe him if he told them the truth. Cedric doubted that they would be willing to be taught by a girl a few years younger than them even if they believed him. Maybe once everyone noticed how his classwork improved then he would admit the truth. Having decided his course of action he left.

Once Harry was alone with Hermione, he asked.

"You knew what the new formula for polyjuice. Why did you not just tell them and save the argument?"

"Because there has been several new formulas for polyjuice and including a few versions that we do not plan to publish." "I guess you did not want to accidentally tell them the wrong formula."

"That is part of the reason but the real purpose is to encourage them to think about it themselves. Research has shown that people who work things out themselves are better able to retain that knowledge than people who are spoon feed answers." Hermione replied.

"I should try that approach in my classes. By the way, which polyjuice formulas are we withholding from being publish?" Harry asked.

"There are versions that can cause a permanent change which can only be reversed using a counter-agent and other versions that can be used by non-magicals and even monkeys. The possibility for abuse is too high." Hermione replied.

"That sounds reasonable."

A few days later, they had Transfiguration with the Slytherins. Daphne and Tracy had arrived early which was unusual for them. When Professor McGonagall entered, they started looking at her like some female students used to look at Lockhart. As the class progress, whenever Professor McGonagall turn their way, Daphne and Tracy would begin fluttering their eyelids.

"Is something wrong Miss Greengrass, Miss Davis?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"No. Madam." The girls replied but continued looking longingly at Professor McGonagall.

"Get back to work then." Professor McGonagall ordered.

"Yes, Minnie." The girls replied at the same time. They then started looking at each other suspiciously. All the others students were all trying to stop themselves from laughing.

"Twenty points from Slytherin. I am not Minnie or Minerva. You call me Professor or Madam. If you do it again I will give you a month's worth of detention." Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Now get back to work everyone."

Everyone quickly went back to work. A little later, Daphne and Tracy could be seen staring at Professor McGonagall again.

"Greengrass, Davis, what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Nothing Madam." The girls replied.

"Detention for both of you tonight. Now is not the time to day dream. So get back to work." Professor McGonagall said forcefully.

"Yes, Madam." They both replied before getting back to work.

"They are definitely dosed with the love potion." Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Obviously." Hermione replies.

"How long do you think before they realise something is wrong?" Harry asked.

"Knowing who we are dealing with who knows." Hermione replied.

"Let us just enjoy the show." Harry suggested.

Every time Professor McGonagall looked at Daphne and Tracy, the two would pretending to be working. But whenever she looked away, the two girls would resume staring at the Professor. The longing looks the two girls were giving the Professor was entertaining the rest of the class. Once class ended everyone reluctantly left. As expected, Daphne and Tracy, both stayed behind to "speak" to the professor. Once they thought they were alone (their were students peeking from the classroom windows and others disillusioned within the room), Daphne turned to Tracy.

"I need to speak to the Professor alone." Daphne said expectingly.

"I need to speak to the Professor alone as well." Tracy countered.

"What do you want to talk about ladies? Does this have anything to do with your lack of attention in class today?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I just want to say how much I admire you." Both girls said at the same time. They then looked at each other angrily.

"Do you not like the Professor as much as I do." Daphne said.

"I love the Professor." Tracy said as she grabbed the Professor head and kissed her on the mouth.

"I love her more." Daphne said before doing the same. This began a tug-war between the two girls for Professor McGonagall. That was when all the students watching could not hold it in any longer and they all burst out laughing. The image of two girls fighting over the dragon teacher was too funny. Professor McGonagall overcame her shock by the sound of the students' laughter. "Stop it both you." Professor McGonagall ordered angrily. They both ignored her. Seeing no other option, Professor McGonagall physically pulled the two girls apart. But the girls too strong under the affects of the potions for Professor McGonagall to succeed. Taking out her wand, Professor McGonagall transfigured two chairs into vines to pull the two girls apart. Once they were apart.

"You are both going to see Healer Chapman." Professor McGonagall announced as she started pushing the two entangled girls to the infirmary.

All the students in the corridors watched as the two girls either fought each other or tried to kiss Professor McGonagall within their restraints. Once they arrived at the infirmary, the girls were knocked out and tied to the beds so that examinations could be conducted. A flushing potion was quickly ordered but would not be ready until the next day.

The school was a buzz with the incident. Harry and Hermione decided to have some fun. So just before dinner, they untied the girls and woke them. Upon waking up, the two girls raced out of the infirmary in search of Professor McGonagall. Deciding that following them would make people suspicious, Harry and Hermione headed off to the library instead. They completed one homework assignment before heading for dinner.

Chatter in the Great Hall was louder than normal. Professor Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were all missing from the head table. They sat next to Mandy so that they could hear what they missed.

"Where were you two?" Mandy asked.

"In the library completing our homework. Detention with Professor Snape every night means that we have to do our homework whenever we can." Harry replied.

"Well you missed some great entertainment by being late for dinner." Mandy said.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"You know what happened during the Transfiguration lesson and immediately after it. Well it continued just a few minutes ago. Dinner had just started when Daphne and Tracy both ran into the Great Hall. They tackled Professor McGonagall and tried to kiss her. It was hilarious.

Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore had to remove Daphne and Tracy from Professor McGonagall. You should have seen Professor McGonagall. Everyone knows that she likes to keep her hair in a tight bun and have all her clothes neat and tidy. Well when she got up she was anything but. The tackle had undone Professor McGonagall's hair so it was flowing to her shoulder and her robes were torn and knocked out of place." Mandy said excitedly.

"So did the three professors take Daphne and Tracy to the infirmary?" Harry asked.

"No. The headmaster ordered Professor Snape to try to speed up the brewing process of the flushing potion before suggesting that Professor McGonagall tidy herself up in her quarters. Professor Dumbledore went alone with the two Slytherins to the infirmary. Everyone burst out laughing when the three professors left. I was surprised you did not hear it." Mandy replied.

"We were in the library and the room is probably warded to stop such sounds from disturbing the students studying." Harry said.

The next morning, Snape received a Howler.

"SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE

HOW DARE YOU SCREW UP OUR ORDER! WE HAVE BEEN ORDERING THE SAME THING FROM YOU FOR YEARS HOW COULD MIX UP YOUR ORDERS. YOUR MISTAKE HAS COST US A VERY WEALTHY REGULAR CUSTOMER WHEN OUR GIRL CHANGED INTO A TEENAGE BOY RATHER THAN PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL HE ORDERED.

YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY REFUND THE MONEY WE GAVE YOU AND PROVIDE NEXT MONTH'S ORDER FOR FREE OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.

LADY VIXEN"

Harry and Hermione immediately recognised the voice as Alice's and knew immediately that Sirius had a hand in creating the howler. There was no way that Lady Vixen would send such a howler, it just bad for business. They did enjoy the glares Professor McGonagall was giving Snape as a result of the letter. Especially when Snape survival instincts kicked in and he tried to run for it. But he left it too late and was caught by Professor McGonagall just outside the Great Hall. Everyone could hear Snape screaming with pain but no one was willing to go look to find out why.

For the rest of the day, Professor Snape would walk the other way whenever he saw McGonagall. Students started saying "Hi Professor McGonagall" to watch Snape bolt in fear. It was making Snape very jumpy and he was not seen at meals. Everyone wished that Snape had attended breakfast the following morning as the LAV had the headlines.

MAJOR SCREWUP AT WHOREHOUSE

Severus Tobias Snape, the potions professor at Hogwarts might no longer have his side business as as he just made a huge mistake according to sources. These sources indicate that he had mixed up two orders he had. One order was for love potion requested by a prominent member of the Slytherin Quidditch team and another was a standing order for polyjuice to look like a well known female Hogwarts Professor.

According to our informants, two second year girls suddenly became infatuated by the female professor while customers of Lady Vixen, Knockturn Alley's most well-known brothel were surprised when their ladies turned into a teenage boy rather than a professor as they were expecting. We have photos of the transformations but can not publish them due to decency concerns. All we can say is that the student looks quiet fetching in drag especially with the whip.

The question on everyone's minds was why is a school professor selling love potion especially to a student? When we approached the British Department of Magical Law Enforcement, they said that they can not investigate until a complaint is lodged. Hogwart's headmaster, Professor Dumbledore said that he was looking into the matter. Neither Severus Snape nor anyone at Lady Vixen were willing to comment.

Dumbledore was at the head table looking very unhappy about the whole situation but there was nothing he could do. He already ordered Snape to cease his potion making operation to stop his deputy from killing him. That Deputy was next to Dumbledore, she was furious beyond belief because she did not realise the full extent of Snape's operation that was happening right under her nose. She was only mildly angry in comparison to the two Slytherin girls who were dosed. Tracy and Daphne were glaring at Marcus Flint. If looks could kill, then Marcus would just be a speck of dusts. Marcus Flint was trying finish his breakfast as quickly as possible to avoid the two girls and so that he could vent his anger at Professor Snape for screwing up his order.

Marcus Flint was the first to leave but he was immediately followed by Daphne, Tracy and Professor McGonagall. When Dumbledore saw Professor McGonagall leaving, he immediately followed to stop her from killing his spy. Not long after they left the hall, the girls could be heard screaming.

"Get back here you coward!"

It was quickly followed by Dumbledore saying.

"Everyone. Do not be too hasty."

This comment caused everyone to in the hall to burst out laughing. Talk about this scandal occupied the school for the rest of the week. Professor McGonagall, Tracy and Daphne were all avoided at all costs. Everyone heard rumours about what they did to Snape and Flint and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of one of their temper tantrums. Snape and Flint were not seen walking along the halls for several days confirming a lot of the rumours. In fact, they were spotted numerous times at the infirmary and according to rumour mills they would be unable to use their family jewels for quite some time.

A/N Thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 


	58. Chapter 57

WARNING UNBETA

Chapter 57

The spat between Snape and McGonagall gave Harry and Hermione, the opportunity they needed to implement the next phase of their plan. That Friday night, Hermione held an extended study session near the second floor girls' toilets. Just before the study session, Hermione used the fake diary to summon Ginny to the second level girls' toilets. When Ginny arrived, she was immediately stunned and hidden.

Meanwhile, Harry was meeting wih the Weasley twins. The purpose of the meeting was provide Harry and the twins with unchallengable albilis. At the meeting, Harry was not really focused on what was being said. If the twins told him to run naked through the Hogwarts hallways he would unknowingly agree. His focus was on the Marauders' Map waiting for an opportunity to snatch Draco without anyone noticing.

When the chance finally arrived, he quickly excuses himself saying that he needs the toilet urgently. Once he was sure that the Weasley twins were distracted by his future self, Harry rushed to to stun Malfoy before Draco had a chance to rejoin his friends. Following the plan that they had devised, Harry hides Draco near the second floor girls' toilet before moving Ginny to the passageway that leads into the Chamber of Secrets. Once Ginny was moved, Harry strategically places several large boulders which they determined would protect Ginny from the colllapsing ceiling. When he is satisfied with the placement of the rocks, he puts Ginny under a disillusionment charm which will be cancelled when the ceilling falls. He removes some hair from Ginny to use for Polyjuice, takes her wand and the fake diary before transfiguring his clothes to look like Ginny's.

After taking the Ginny polyjuice, Harry blindfolds the Basilisk before leading it to where he hid Malfoy making sure to avoid the classroom that Hermione was using for her study session. He strips Malfoy of his clothes and wand before allowing the Basilisk to eat Draco. Draco's clothes is used to stage a voilent crime scene by Harry. Once he is satisfied with the work which he knows does not need to be perfect as the Magical Aurors were know to be lazy and have a tendency to jump to conclusions (just look at how they treated Sirius). He leads the blindfolded Basilisk past Hermionee's study group.

"What was that?" One of the student's exclaimed while pointing at the door. Everyone turned towards the door to see something scaly blocking the door. Michael was first to stroke the basilisk as it passed but he was soon followed by also all the students. When the door cleared, Cedric and Hermione lead a small group of students out the classroom to try to see what was happening.

"It is a massive snake!" Cedric exclaimed.

"That must be the youngest Weasley. No other else has red hair like that or at that length!" Mandy stated. She had followed the group out because it was a massive opportunity for discovering gossip.

"I will get a Professor. Everyone stay here." Cedric suggested as he quickly left.

"We should follow it together so that it doe not disappear?" Another student suggested. "We don't something big roaming our school."

"I agree." Padma interjected. "It will help investigators if we determine where it going. If we stay together we can defeat anything."

"You just saying because you are scared the school will closed and you will have to be home schooled again." Mandy countered.

"It is better than sitting and waiting." Padma replied.

"Alright enough." Hermione yelled. "Put up your hands if you think we should follow it."

Most of the students raised their hands. Their faith in the Professors had been eroded by Hermione's observations.

"We will follow but I will take the lead as I am the best in defence. Anyone who does not want to go can remain here." Hermione announced.

They followed the snake to the second floor girls toilets. When they reached the entrance to the secret passageway, Hermione used her book bag to prevent it from closing. As soon as, Harry saw Hermione's study group, he fired several reductos above them to scare them off. When they ducked, Harry sneaked away into the actual Chamber of Secrets. This was the signal for Hermione to bring down the ceilling destroying any traps they had setup and blocking the path to the actual Chamber of Secrets.

When the dust settle, Ginny could be seen pinned under some rocks. Clearly knocked out.

"Is everyone alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Everyone responded out of habit. Most of them were scared witless while most of the boys were focused on the fact they were in a girls' toilet.

"Is that the female Weasley down their?" Padma asked.

"I believe so. Can someone go and get Healer Chapman?" Hermione asked.

"I will go." Hannah offered as she did not want to be in such a confined space with the possibility of another ceilling collapse.

"I will inform the other Weasleys." Su Li offered.

Professor Sprout was first to arrive. She was quickly followed by Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape. Flitwick and Healer Chapman.

"What happened here?" Professor Sprout asked as the others tried to rescue Ginny.

"We were holding our usual study session when something big passed our room. Not wanting to let something so big and dangerous get away, we decided to follow it as a group. Anyway, it lead us here where Ginny started firing spells at us. We return fire which caused the ceiling to fall." Hermione explained.

"Whose wand is that?" Padma asked as she pointed to Draco's wand that Harry must have deliberately dropped. Everyone checked to make sure they had their wands. Professor Sprout performed a spell to identify the owner.

"It is Mr Malfoy." Professor Sprout informed them.

"Why don't you check what spells he recently performed?" Hermione suggested while praying that he had not done anything illegal recently. Professor Sprout complied.

"Just the usual second year spells. Nothing unusual." Professor Sprout said to the relief of Hermione.

The other professors had finally been able to free Ginny from her rocky trap. As they were about to take her to the hospital wing, Harry and Ginny's brothers arrived.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"We don't know yet." Professor Dumbledore replied honestly.

"What do you know?" George asked rudely. Hanging around Harry and all the aticles about Dumbledore had destroyed his respect for the professor.

"Ginny got trapped under some rocks in what looks like the Chamber of Secrets." Professor Dumbledore replied as he looked around with obvious fasination.

"Make way so that we can take her to the Hospital Wing, immediately!" Healer Chapman yelled. Instantly the crowd of students who had started to gather created a path for the Healer and his patient.

"Thank you." Healer Chapman said in a more even tone. He speed off with his patient quickly followed by the rest of the Weasleys. Dumbledore asked the same questions to Hermione's study group as Sprout and got the same responses.

"I want to have you all checked out by our healer in case you have some unknown injury." Dumbledore announced as he herded them to the Hospital Wing. The real reason for the examination was so that he could have access to Hermione. He was desperate to give her a potion or put her under some sort spell. Doing it under the guise of medical treatment could be his only chance to do so undetected.

Every time he tried previuosly had been stopped either by Harry or someone else (Dobby). Potions during meal times was too risky because if it was discovered, shit would hit the fan. It was another headache he needed as much as a hole in his head. Dumbledore started scanning students as he could not do Hermione immediately without raising suspicion. Since he was already scanning the students, Dumbledore decided to try to read their minds as well. He was shocked to discover, they all had mental shields.

Before he could work on Hermione, Lucius Malfoy arrived with a squad of Aurors.

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly while in his head he was saying damn orver and over again.

"One of my house elves noticed a change on my family's tapestry. It indicates that my son, Draco has died. Since he is currently residing at your school, I immediately came here to investigate." Lucius informed Dumbledore.

"I can assure you that no one has died. A student got injured but she is being cared for right now." Dumbledore replied as sincerely as he could.

"Do you mind fletching my son to put Narcissa's mind at ease?" Lucius requested.

"That is fine. It is probably a problem with the tapestry" Dumbledore replied before ordering Snape to fetch Draco.

"Why did you bring these Aurors with you? Do you mind me asking?" Dumbledore asked suspiciously.

"If my worse fears are realised then I want an investigation to begin immediately before the culprits can escape." Lucius explained.

"I can assure you, your son is alright and your tapestry is just malfunctioning. You just wasted the aurors time for nothing. If you had such concerns, you should have approach me first." Dumbledore accused Lucius as he resumed scanning the students. He knew with Aurors and Mr Malfoy present, casting any sort of spell on Hermione would be plain stupid.

Snape came rushing back in.

"Draco is missing!" Snape exclaimed. Professor Sprout then remembered the wand from the Chamber of Secrets, she took out the wand. As soon as Lucius saw the wand, he exclaimed.

"That is Draco's wand Where did you find it?"

"I found his wand in the room with the cave in." Sprout said as she handed the wand to Dumbledore. He performed the same spells as Sprout to identify the owner and what the wand was used for.

"Which room did you discover the wand?" Lucius asked fearfully.

"It was a room connected to the second floor girls toilet. I personally never knew that the room existed." Sprout replied.

"Could the room be the Chamber of secrets?" Susan asked.

"A monster is suppose to live in their." Snape stated with fear.

"We saw the monster. It was following the Weasley girl." Susan supplied.  
>"I want an investigation to be started right now." Lucius demanded angrily.<p>

"That will not be necessary. I am sure that my staff can take care of it." Dumbledore said reassuringly as he did not want outsiders to know of any problems at the school.

"I do not think so. You can not even keep track of my son. A member of a prominent wizarding family. I believe that professionals should be brought in. In fact, I will speak to the Minister right now." Lucius said before stalking away. Dumbledore soon followed him out trying to stop him from fulfilling his threat.

A short time later, the school was swarming with aurors. Everyone were interviewed at least three times. No one at Hogwarts got much sleep especially the people in the infirmary. Healer Chapman were more than willing to let the aurors interview all the patients under his care. He believed that if you give the authorities what they want then they would leave you alone. That way the patients can rest easier with nothing to interrupt them or give them anxiety. When they took Ginny away, Healer Chapman was still non-fussed. The reason that he gave Dumbledore when he asked was that it was one less patient to distract him.

As soon as Hermione was released from the infirmary, she headed to Harry's trunk. Harry was waiting for her impatiently.

"Did any of the rituals or spells to remove the Horcrux work?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing worked. They tried for hours. I had to stab the diary with a basilisk fang dagger to destroy it. Hopefully Emily will be able to find something because I don't want to step in front of a killing curse again." Harry replied.

"Where is the diary now?"

"They are still examining it to try to work out why none of it worked."

"Have you informed Sirius about what is going on?"

"I sent Dobby with a message to let Sirius know. I suspect that tomorrow headlines in the LAV will be interesting."

"Do you think the Daily Prophet will cover the story?"

"Knowing them it will probably take a week for the story to appear."

"But it involves the Malfoys which is one of the most prominent wizarding families."

"They will hold off publishing the story until they get the facts straight. Speaking of the Malfoys have you been able to feed them that special steroid you cooked up. The one that will cause violent rages before they die from a heart attack." Harry asked.

"That was taken care of ages ago. The Malfoy wards did not take into account, animigus. So I got one of our employees, who happens to be a dragonfly, to contaminate the Malfoys' food with the steroid." Hermione replied.

"Good. I will send Dobby to observe them for the next few days." Harry suggested.

"Dobby will jump at the chance to observe the demise of his hated masters." Hermione observed.

"Do you know whether they have arrested Ginny yet?" Harry asked.

"I don't know about arrested but they did take her away. From what I heard in the infirmary they found all your breadcrumbs and have reached the conclusion we wanted them to."

"So they believe that Ginny used a Basilisk to kill Draco?"

"Yes. The aurors were able to identify the presence of a Basilisk from the spittle left behind by the snake when it consumed Draco."

"Let us hope the rest of our plans go as smoothly."

Sirius was on his way to meet Alain Delacour when Dobby appeared with the message from Harry. After reading the message, he forwarded it along with a note to his editor. He continued to his destination with a spring in his step, happy that his exile from Britain was about to end.

Unknowst to Sirius, Fleur had deliberately timed her lesson today to coincide with his visit. When one of the house elves informed her that Sirius was at th door she shorten her skirt length until it bearly covered her bum and undid several buttons on her blouse to show off her developing breasts.

"Hello old hag." Sirius said in greeting as Fleur opened the door for him.

"Hello geriatric pervert." Fleur greeted in return while sucking on a lollipop and turning on her allure to full power.

"Scare any boys lately?" Sirius said in jest. As he reinforced his mental shields. This game he was playing with Fleur had improved his mental abilities to the point where Dumbledore would have trouble entering his mind.

"Not that I am aware of. Have you slept your way across America already and come here for new conquests?"Fleur asked as she started licking the lollipop.

"As if I would come here for my search. I am not desperate enough to lower my standards enough to admit people like you." Sirius replied to both the direct question and the implied one.

"So you admit sleeping your way across America."

"I did not say that." Sirus said before smiling and saying "It is good to see you Fleur."

"It is good to see you too, Sirius." As they hugged.

"It is Mr Black to you, young lady."

"Are we going to have the same argument again?" Fleur asked questioningly as Alain entered the room.

"Do I have to separate two again?" Alain asked.

"We were just joking around." Sirius said.

"See you later, Sirius." Fleur said as she left before he could counter.

"What is she doing away from school?" Sirius asked.

"Her school does not offer some of the subjects she is interested in like fencing and politics. So she has a private tutor come here to teach those sujects." Alain replied.

"So has Rita Skeeter helped you take down any more politcal rivals?" Sirius asked.

"No. But she has been helping me destroy a lot of their support base. How she told you about what we are doing?" Alain asked.

"No. I had no contact with Rita ever since they put a price on my head. She would be too tempted to cash in." Sirius replied.

"You are going to love how are taking them down. It is something inspired by you. Anyway, whenever my rivals organise prostitutes for high ranking officials they are trying to sweet talk or a thank you for their high value sponsors, we will intercept these sex workers and replace them with polyjuice hags. The polyjuice is one of the special ones your friends developed which was designed to be undetectable and wearable during figurous activity. You should hear some of the abusive correspondence that occur afterwards especially when the potion wears off in the middle of the act. They are bloody hilarious. It has created rifts between my rivals and their support network. I will send you copies of the memories and any letters I have intercepted." Alain explained as his smile grew.

"Do you pay the hags?" Sirius asked while trying not to laugh.

"We pay the hags and the prostitutes. But from what I have heard that is not really necessary as the hags would have fights amongst themselves about whose turn it is." Alain commented. Sirius immediately imagined selling tickets to see hags fight each other or other ways to use the hags. Unbeknowst to him, Doug and Grant had being doing so already.

"I still like our first project together."

"Yeah. That was a classic. How did you get his secretary to change his appointments so that Monsier Solomon was carrying illegally smuggled contraband when he visited his mistress?"

"That is a trade secret." Sirius said with a twinkle in his eye. "I like how you made him admit in court that she was his mistress and not his smuggler."

"Did you know I am still getting the finest cognac from his ex-wife every month?" Alain said smugly.

"I thought she would have stopped once the divorce was finalised." Sirus said.

"It was better before the divorce as she would send unbelievable gifts like that Revoir in the hallway."

"I like how you reported all those gifts. Then as your opponents were preparing to bury you due to the gifts she comes out swinging on your behalf. Causing havoc in the ranks of your enemies while keeping your hands clean." Sirius said with a smile.

"She also offered other gifts that I was forced to decline since I did not want to be killed by my wife." Alain whispered to Sirius.

"Do tell." Sirius said encouragingly.

"Not on your life." Alain said before breaking out in laughter. "You would fall for anything. I have a Veela wife. It is hard enough keeping up with her to even consider an exttramartial affair."

"You are so whipped." Sirius said good naturely.

"So have you found out who was preventing the uniting of the various magical communities before the Grangers arrived?" Alain asked in order to change the subject

" We have worked out who the current players are but we have no idea who the money men or how organise they are. The search has become easier after the various American magical governments united and started drafting a new treaty with the muggles."

"Did you identified any new players?" Alain asked with concern.

"Some but the main players are surprisingly well-known in the non-magical community and with well known links with the religious movement."

"Could the catholic church be involved?" Alain asked with outright fear. Another war with the church would be a disaster.

"We don't believe so. Our sources within the various churches suggest that would prefer ignoring us as we represent mistakes they made in the past. Does Spanish inquisition, Salem witch trials and the holy wars ring any bells? Anyway most of the money is coming not from Europe where the church is strong but from some where from Africa. We don't know where." Sirius explained.

"Do you need help tracking the money?" Alain offered.

"That would be great if you could. We are having trouble tracking the money when it goes through Europe." Sirius replied.

"I will get my people to contact you in a few days." Alain offered.

Breakfast at Hogwarts, the next morning was very unusual. The first thing was the absence of the Professors who were helping the Aurors search for clues and answering questions. Noise from people gossiping was at an all time high. Things quieten down when Pansy stood up with outrage and screamed.

"I am not a cradle snatcher!"

"Yes, you are. You know that your father and Lucius Malfoy created an ironclad marriage contract between yourself and the next Head of the Malfoy family. Since Draco died and the next heir has not been born yet. That would mean that you would be over a decade older than your new groom. Can you imagine the wedding? An 17 year old Pansy going to the altar with a pram. Instead of I do, the baby will either shake his rattle or throw it. That is assuming that you, her father and Mr Malfoy do not lose their magic for breaching the marriage contract. Especially if the rumours about Mr Malfoy's inability to get his tool in the upright position are true." Daphne teased as she wanted the attention focused away from her and her friend Tracey. The gossip within the female population of Hogwarts was hurting her future prospects.

"At least my husband is going to be wealthy and powerful. The decline of your family business combined with your well known lesbian tendencies would mean the best match your parents could organise is with people like Goyle and Crabbe ." Pansy replied vindictively.

"Well at least my husband will be interested me. You are going to be an old hag by the time your future husband is ready for kids. Anyway in all likelihood, he will not be interested in you since he will bat for the other team just like his father and brother." Daphne countered.

"What are you saying bitch?" Pansy asked.

"I am saying that everyone knows that Draco use to spend nights with Weasley and Longbottom."

"I am not gay!" Ron and Neville yelled out at the same time before looking at each other accusingly. Nott saw this as an opportunity show his leadership of the now headless Slytherins.

"You protest too much. As they say. Someone in denial will over compernsate." Nott said..

"We are not involved with each other." Weasley said angrily. Neville took at few steps towards Ron to back him up.

"Your boyfriend has come to support you." Nott teased.

"He is not my boyfriend. Besides we have not spoken to each other in weeks."

"Someone is counting the days. Weasley, you really must be missing your partner for you to use your single brain cell to count the days that you have been apart." Nott said insultingly. Neville held back Ron from trying to punch Nott.

"Longbottom has your grandma ban you from playing with your special friend because she is scared that the Longbottoms will not have an heir." Nott teased. Neville let Ron go who immediately launch himself at Nott. It soon became a free for all as the Slytherins and Griffindors used the opportunity to settle old disputes. The fight would have included the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws if it was not for the fact that they had noticed the aurors approaching.

Stunners were being fired at a rapid pace by the arriving aurors in order to stop the fighting. After half the fighting students were stunned did the fight cease. Auror Dawlish took the opportunity to ask loudly.

"Can someone please tell me what happened?"

No one wanted to reply. Nott did not say anything as he knew the Weasleys were close allies of Dumbledore and his life at Hogwarts will be hell. Ron knew that if he dobbed in Nott then his first punch would come to light. Daphne and Pansy refused due to the sensitive subject matter of their argument.

"Could someone please answer me?" Auror Dawlish asked again while giving the students piercing looks. They were saved from answering as Dumbldore and the other Professors finally arrived.

"This is just children fighting at school which means that this is an entirely internal matter. We don't need the Ministry to deal with such a minor matter." Dumbledore said in his most authoritiative tone. Dawlish back down immediately as he did not want a confrontation. He lead his aurors out of the Great Hall as Healer Chapman started treating the injuried.

"Does someone want to tell me what happenerd?" Dumbledore asked after all the aurors had left. No one responded.

"Let us pretend it did not happen and chalk it to the lack of sleep." Dumbledore decided Snape and McGonagall looked happy with the decision. Since it was obvious that their houses were heavily involved in the fight. Any investigation will likely result in both houses losing a heap load of points.

OMAKE

On Friday, Harry met with the Weasley Twins to discuss business.

"Where is your better half?" George asked.

"She is holding another study session?" Harry replied.

"Why are you not attending?" Fred asked.

"We need a break from each other." Harry lied. The real reason was that he needed a good alibi for himself and the twins when the shit hit the fans.

"Had a lovers' spat?" Fred teased good naturedly.

"Did you have a fight with the Misses?" George asked as he winked at Harry.

"Do you need a place to hide?" Fred asked jokingly.

"We just needed a little space from each other. Every couple needs that on occasion. As they say. Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Harry said defensively.

"Are you in the doghouse for doing something wrong?" George suggested.

"Did you comment on her weight?" Fred added.

"Even we know to never to say anything about a girl's weight. We learnt it the hard way." George said with a shiver.  
>"No, nothing like that." Harry said defensively.<p>

"I know. She is going through her monthlies." Fred exclaimed.

"That would explain the need for space." George said in agreement.

"Enough teasing." Harry said.

"We will only stop teasing if you do us a favour." George suggested with Fred nodding his head in agreement.

"What is the favour?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"We want some love potion." George replied seriously.

"No." Harry exclaimed. He and Hermione both hated love potions. It was the reason why love potions and ingredients used for love potions were not sold by twins. The twins were disappointed and decided to continue their teasing until Harry relented.

"Maybe you accidentally reached second base and she got mad." George said.

"No. Hermione is too uptight. It is more likely that Harry tried to slip his tongue into her mouth and she objected." Fred teased. Harry was getting mad by the insinuations.

"I think you are right brother of mine. Look how red he is getting." George said in support of Fred.

"Fine but tell me right now why you need love potions for. If are you trying to sell it to other people then I will force feed it into both of you during lunch at the Great Hall. So that we can watch you two get it on with on another." Harry said threateningly.

"It is for a prank we are planning. Hearing about how those two Slytherin girls pashing Professor McGonagall inspired us to do a similar prank. We are thinking of dosing all the cats in Hogwarts to fall in love with Professor McGonagall's animigus form. Can you imagine all those cats following Professor McGonagall around?" George explained. Harry thought for a minute before agreeing.

"Okay but you provide me with Professor McGonagall's hair to create the potion." Harry said. Fred immediately handed Harry a bag of fur balls.

"How did you get all that hair?" Harry asked.

"You really don't want to know." George assured Harry.

"Okay. I believe you. If you will excuse me I need to use the toilet?" Harry said as he spotted an opportunity to snatch Draco on the Marauder's map.

"We will be here." Fred assured Harry.

A/N Thank you for reading. Please review.


	59. Chapter 58

Warning this chapter is unbetaed.

Chapter 58

Lucius and Narcissa Mafloy had spent an anxious couple of days waiting for news about their missing son. This was the first time, the lead investigator, Auror Dawlish was meeting with them personally. Their contacts within the Ministry were keeping them informed about the progress of the investigation.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet us, John." Lucius said in greeting.

"No problems, Mr Malfoy, I wish it was under better circumstances." Auror John Dawlish replied.

"So what progress have you made?" Narcissa asked impatiently.

"I am sorry to have to tell you but we believe your son has died." Dawlish replied in a somber tone.

"Have you found his body?" Narcissa asked quietly as she attempted to keep her composure.

"No. But all the evidence we have uncovered lead us to believe that he is dead." Dawlish replied

"So you are not positive my son is dead. I will not believe that my son is dead until you bring me his body!" Narcissa asked angrily.

"We have tried but we believe he was eaten by an giant snake which was buried by a cave in."

"SO GET SOME PEOPLE TO CLEAR THE CAVE IN AND RECOVER MY BABY'S BODY! IT IS NOT THAT HARD!" Narcissa screamed as her composure finally cracked. Lucius pulled his wife into a hug.

"The Minister will never authorise such a major operation. It is cost double our yearly budget due to the danger involved." Dawlish replied timidly.

"Don't worry about the cost. I will personally pay for it. In regards to the Minister, I am certain he will agree with me. Just start the process immediately." Lucius ordered.

"I am sorry, Mr Malfoy but until I get approval from the Minister. I can not do anything." Dawlish informed the Malfoys.

"It is not your fault, John. I blame Dumbledore for this disaster." Lucius said ominously.

"On that front, there is some good news. We believe that their is enough evidence to charge Dumbledore and the Weasley girl. So at least you will finally be able to get rid of Dumbledore from Hogwarts." Dawlish explained.

"Why are you wasting time talking about politics now? My baby is missing!" Narcissa sobbed.  
>"Sorry about my wife." Lucius apologised on his wife's behalf.<p>

"It is totally understandable." Dawlish replied. "How do you want to handle Severus Snape?"

"How is Severus involved?" Lucius asked in surprise.

"Our investigate indicates that he knew about the possible threat but he disregarded the warning."

"WHAT!" Narcissa exclaimed.

"He was warned by the Potter kid about the possible threat but Severus thought the child was just playing with him. So he did not take it seriously. Not surprising considering the hatre he has for the kid s father. Since he took no action in regards to the warning, which makes him criminally negligent."

"I want him prosecuted! He should have investigated the potential threat to his godson" Narcissa screamed.

"Yes, Madam." Dawlish replied, "But it is going to hard as Dumbledore is protecting him and a lot of the recent Slytherin Alumni will back him as well."

"I want him punished to the full extent of the law! Do it now!" Narcissa said angrily as she now had a new person to direct her anger at. Dawlish took that as an invitation to leave so he willingly got up to leave.

"I will show you the way out." Lucius offered as he led the auror to the reception hall fireplace. Once they were out of earshot of Narcissa, Dawlish asked.

"Does she expect us to prosecute, Severus?"

"I think you better. It is not a good idea to get on her bad side. She is not related to Bella LeStrange for nothing. Her family knows more dark curses than even the Dark Lord." Lucius explained.

"I will try my best. But the most I can do with all the resistence is give him a slap on the wrist. You are better off taking him to the civil courts which will wipe him out." Dawlish suggested.

"You can only do your best." Lucius said reassuringly as he patted Dawlish on the back.

"Good Evening Mr Malfoy." Dawlish said formally after taking a deep breath to settle himself and prepare for the uncoming battle.

Goodbye, John. Malfoy replied.

The next morning, a red letter approached the Malfoys.

I wonder who is so rude to send us a howler at this time. Lucius thought as he opened the letter.

HOW DARE YOU, LUCIUS? I KNOW YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUPPLIED THE CURSED DIARY THAT POSSESSED THE WEASLEY GIRL. YOUR OLD HOUSE ELF RECOGNISED THE DIARY AS BELONGING TO YOU. AFTER ALL, HE USE TO DUST IT FOR YOU.

PUTTING ALL THOSE CHILDREN AT RISK SO YOU COULD WIN SOME STUPID GAME YOU ARE PLAYING IS GOING TOO FAR. SINCE YOU KILLED MY HEIR I WILL ANNUL YOUR MARRIAGE AS IS MY RIGHT AS YOUR WIFE S HEAD OF HOUSE. YOU BETTER GET A GOOD LAWYER BECAUSE I AM GOING AFTER EVERYTHING! IF YOU LUCKY YOU WILL HAVE ENOUGH KNUTS LEFTOVER TO BUY THE DAILY PROPHET!

SIRIUS BLACK.

The howler then ripped itself into pieces. Lucius quietly admitted to himself that Sirius had out played him this time. That was when he looked up and saw the murderous look in his wife's eyes.

Tell me that my cousin got it wrong. Narcissa demanded.

Well... Lucius began to say but the stinging curse aimed at his groin stopped him from continuing.

"Let me explain." Lucius pleaded as Narcissa sent another string of curses at Lucius. "So explain!" Narcissa said angrily as she paused her cursing.

"This was not meant to happen."

"What was suppose to happen?" Narcissa asked.

"The cursed book from our Master was suppose to kill the youngest Weasley." Lucius explained.

"Did you know what the book would do?" Narcissa asked.

"No." Lucius admitted.

"Yet you introduce it to a children rich environment and our baby is now missing possibly dead." Narcissa screamed as her temper ignited again. She immediately fired a powerful stinging curse at Lucius.

"I did not introduce the cursed book into the school." Lucius replied.

"But you did not know what the book would do. Did you?" Narcissa countered.

"I never imagined this happening." Lucius admitted.

"Not good enough." Narcissa said as she fired a reducto curse directly at her husband. Lucius dodged baredly in time. Mr Malfoy spent the next few minutes trying to dodge the powerful curses of his wife. When the curses turned deadly with things that can cause permanent injury. He started returning fire with disabling curses. Due to the drugs in her systems and her extreme rage at him, the curses that did connect had no effect. As a stunning spell hit her face with no effect, the fight became a battle of survival with lethal curses being exchanged.

It reached the stage when she was firing killing curses while he was responding with borderline dark curses. That was when Lucius was hit with a killing curse to his leg which put him down permanently. Narcissa who was saisfied with the result sat down to recuperate that is when the curses she received finally took its toll. She was dead within a minute of her husband dying. Unnoticed in the corner, a house elf was sobbing while saying.

"I tried to stop the possessed girl." over and over.

When the aurors arrived and saw the damage.

"What the hell happened here?" An auror asked.

"Do not touch anything. One of you go tell the Minister. While the rest of us stand guard and investigate what we can.." The Senior Auror in charged decided.

Minister Fudge arrived at the scene shortly after being informed.

"What happened?" Minister Fudge asked as soon as he arrived.

"It looks like a domestic dispute that turned deadly. We suspect it was triggered by the Howler over there. This is all speculation as we have found no evidence of any witnesses." The Lead Auror replied completely ignoring the house elf entirely as offcial procedure dictates.

"Very sad business. It must be the emotional tormoil from having their child missing presumed dead." Minister Fudge said to no one in particular.

"I will try to identify the sender of the Howler in order to determine the cause this incident." The Lead auror said as he resumed the investigation.

"Bugger! Who is going to pay for the work on the Chamber of Secrets. I need to stop it immediately before we incur a too big large a charge to hide from the Wizemgamot's oversight committee. This is not the type of thing I need just before an election." Fudge exclaimed as he rushed off.

When Harry, Hermione and Mandy went down for breakfast in the Great Hall, they noticed a large stream of goblins heading to the Chamber of Secrets. All the goblins were carrying mining equipment and were moving in a rapid pace. Their were quiet a bit of jostling between the goblins in their rush to reach the Chamber of Secrets.

"Last night Marietta told me that the goblins are here to clear the cave in." Mandy informed them then lowered her voice. "Initially the Malfoys were going pay for the operation but they passed away yesterday so now the goblins are going to make their money from selling anything valuable they recover. The only reason they agreed to such terms is the thought of the valuable Basilisk corpse that is suppose to be down there."

"The Malfoys are dead, I am surprised their was not a special edition of the Daily Prophet." Padma commented.

"That particular paper is super conservative. So they would hold off publishing anything until they have confirmation from official sources. They would not dare publish something so damaging to such a powerful player in the political arena without triple checking everything." Hermione theorised.

"The LAV does not care about such things. I wonder why they did not release a special edition." Padma asked.

"The Malfoys' deaths is big news in Magical Britain but the rest of the world could not care less. Since the LAV is more an international paper, the story is not big enough in global terms to justify a special edition."

As soon as they entered the Great Hall, Pansy approached them.

"Hello Potter, Granger. Or should I say son and daughter." Pansy said smugly.

"What are you talking about, Parkinson?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Don't you know, I am going to marry your magical guardian in the not so distance future. The contract is ironclad. My father and Mr Malfoy made sure of that when Draco started showing homosexual tendencies. After the marriage, the first thing I will do is remove you from my husbands' protection if you are lucky." Pansy said vindicately. She was still angry that they had refused to let her join their study sessions.

"At least I am not marrying someone many years my senior." Hermione countered.

"It could be worse. He is easy on the eyes and rich. Maybe I should get my future husband to arrange a betrothal contract for you to the ugliest guy I can find." Pansy replied.

"That is assuming that you can control your so called future husband. He might decide to fulfil the contract then ship you off to Siberia for the rest of your life." Hermione said vindictively.

"What would a mudblood like you understand proper society?" Pansy said arrogantly before walking off. She knew that Hermione statement was most likely true.

"Come on. Let us get breakfast and see what the competing papers say about the demise of the Malfoys." Harry suggested. After they sat down, Harry started reading the Daily Prophet like normal while Hermione began with the LAV. A little later, Harry was interrupted by Hermione grabbing his arm.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Read this article." Hermione directed. As she pointed to a story on the second page.

PREWITTS PARSELMOUTHS AND KILLERS

Draco Malfoy's killer might have inherited her homocidal tendencies. During our research to uncover the origins of the killer's ability to speak to snakes we might have discovered a possible link between the Killer's Great Aunt and an unsolved murder which occurred at the same school.

As we previously reported, the killer claimed she was possessed at the time that she killed Draco Malfoy. Our experts consider this possibility highly doubtful. The ability to control snakes is an inherited ability, a possessing spirit would not be able to use such innate ability. So we starting researching her family tree to identify the origins of her abilities. We soon discovered the killer s great great grandparents spent quiet a bit of time in India where the ability is common. According to a diary we obtained the Killer s great great grandmother was very friendly with her native butler. During our research we discovered an interesting fact. It turns out the killer's great aunt, Muriel Prewitt, was attending Hogwarts at the time the same snake killed another student.

At the time, they were unable to say for certain what happened. The incident was blamed on Hagrid based on hearsay with Dumbledore's backing. It seems that Dumbledore did not want a proper investigation as he banned senior aurors from being included in the team sent to Hogwarts. He claimed that it would frighten the students and parents unnecessary. When the aurors arrived Dumbledore pressured them to blame Hagrid even though the initial inquiries put doubts to his guilt. The preliminary examination suggested that a snake was responsible for the death while Hagrid admitted in questioning that he had a dangerous spider as a pet. When the aurors were not able provide an alternate suspect after a single day of investigation, they gave into Dumbledore s demands and blamed Hagrid.

Muriel Prewitt was not questioned due to the brief nature of the investigation even though classmates have indicated that Muriel and the murdered girl did not get along. The same classmates were pretty sure Muriel was missing from her bed on the night that the girl was killed. What was even more suspicisious was the Prewitts suddenly support of Dumbledore not long after the incident.

This support seems to be mutual as Dumbledore refused to allow aurors to take the recent killer and her brother into questioning when they publically demostrated their ability to communicate with snakes. If they had been allowed to be questioned, then the Malfoy death might not have occurred. Dumbledore assured the Ministry that he would personally investigate the matter which is the only reason the Ministry back down. What happened to the investigation? It is still continuing as Dumbledore has not been able to find the suppose culprits (Scapegoats).

We tried to contact Dumbledore to comment on our investigation but he has not returned our owls or floo calls. The British Ministry of Magic has said they will be investigating our claims and requested that we pass on our supporting documentation which we gladly did. Hopefully Hagrid will have his name cleared and the responsible parties will be held to account.

"That is brilliant!" Harry exclaimed.

"I agree. Padfoot is back to his pranking best." Hermione said in agreement. "Blaming everything on Dumbledore."

Filch stormed into the Great Hall in a towering fury. He immediately started chucking nails, knives and his other torture instruments at Dumbledore. The first knife barely missed its target. But Dumbledore was not as lucky in regards to the nails as they hit their mark.

"MRS NORRIS BEING PETRIFIED IS YOUR FAULT, DUMBLEDORE!" Filch accused as he continued throwing sharp objects at the Headmaster.

"Please calm down." Dumbledore replied as he did not want this argument out in the open. Filch refused to listen to him instead he continued throwing sharp objects at the Headmaster. The other professors were too shocked to assist Dumbledore and the students were enjoying the show. They watched the usually dignify Headmaster race around the Hall trying to avoid Filch. His beard and hair flying behind him like a flag while his usually hidden knobby knees and arms pumped to give him the speed he needed to avoid FIlch. No one knew that the reason why Dumbeldore had not used his wand was that he did not want people to know he lost the Elder wand. Just as Dumbledore was running out of steam and it looked like Filch was catching up, Harry pushed Percy into Filch's path.

"YOUR SISTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MRS NORRIS BEING PETRIFIED!" Filch yelled as he chucked a fanged frisbee directly at Percy's groin. Percy collapse to the ground in obvious pain. That was lucky as the next object that Filch had thrown would have hit Percy square on the head if he had not fallen. Flitwick finally took action and put Filch in invisible ropes before he could do anymore damage. McGonagall transfigured the knife in Filch's hand into a rubber ducky. It was left to Snape to confiscate the bag with all the sharp objects that Filch had brought with him and make sure he had no other weapons consealed anywhere. As Dumbledore and Percy headed to the infirmary, Filch yelled.

"I SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRUSTED YOU! I QUIT!"

Muriel Prewitt got up late. Getting up late was in her opinion, was a right that every proper pureblood should have. After getting up she ignored the massive flock of owls outside her window and proceeded with her morning routine. It was only when she went to open her window to allow the owl to deliver the Daily Prophet did she realised something was wrong. Like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Birds, she was overwhelmed by the flock of owls as they delivered Howlers and other unpleasantness on to her. A frightened Muriel covered in bird droppings and other unidenttified potions sat shaking in a corner as Howler after Howler accused her of being a murderer. When the doorbell rang. she ran to open it hoping that help had arrived. . The sight of two aurors greatly relieved Muriel.

"Are you here to help me get rid of all these owls?" Muriel asked desperately.

"No, Madam. Are you Muriel Prewitt?" One of the Aurors asked.

"Yes."

"You have to come with us?"

"What for?"

"Have you not read today's newspaper."

"I did not get a chance to as I got over run by owls."

The more senior auror handed her a copy of the LAV. The article was the straw that broke the camel's back in this case, Muriel's heart gave out an she died from a heart attack.

Oh Shit. We found like this. The senior auror said to his junior.

Why can we not tell the truth? We did nothing wrong. The junior auror asked.

Do you want to fill in 500 different forms and risk getting sued by her family for wrongful death? The senior auror explained to the horror to his partner.

You are right. We found her dead like that when we arrived. The junior auror said in agreement with his partner. You better remove that paper in her hand. It might contradict our story.

Good thinking.

A few days later, Sirius walked into the British Ministry of Magic for the first in months. He took a moment to appreciate the freedom that the death of the Malfoys gave him before he headed to the Ministers' office.

"What can I help you with today, Mr Black?" Minister Fudge asked nervously. It was understandable since rumour has it that Sirius had inherited all the Malfoys' accounts and so that meant not only was he extremely wealthy now but he had also evidence of all the bribes that Lucius had paid Fudge over the years.

"I wish to discuss a few things with you."

"I have time for such an important member of society like yourself."

"That is good to know. The first issue I would like to discuss is the Ginerva Weasley case."

"Why are you taking such an interest in the case?" Minister Fudge asked curiously.

"I can understand how young people can do stupid things. In fact, when I was slightly older than her I did something very stupid that almost cost two lives. So I believe that young people should be given second chances." Sirius explained.

"So what did you do? May I ask?". Fudge asked curiously.

"It is a long time ago and I have paid for the mistake many times over."

"Alright." Fudge replied even though he made a note in his head to investigate Sirius' past. The possibility of blackmail material would be worth the effort.

"Getting back to the girl. Is their anything you can do for her?"

"The late Mr Malfoy did quite a bit of lobbying to impose the maximum sentence on the girl before he died." Minister Fudge replied.

"I believe it will be a simply matter for me to change those minds." Sirius replied.

"What sort of punishment do you think she deserves?" Minister asked.

"A slap on the wrist and a warning." Sirius said hopefully.

"That is not going to happen. The members of the Wizemgamot that are violently opposed to Dumbledore will never go for such a light sentence. Especially for someone so close to the ex-Chief Warlock." Minister Fudge replied.

"What do you think would be acceptable to them?" Sirius asked.

"A few months or years at Azhaban." Minister Fudge replied honestly.

"That is way too harsh. Do you think you can sell a sentence of expulsion from Hogwarts if you point out her young age?" Sirius asked.

"If you you are willing to push it I believe they will accept expulsion plus having her wand snapped."

"Can you get them to back down a bit more? Maybe only supervised use of her wand until she is of age."

"I think I could sell that to the Wizemgamot but the supervison will have to extended to her 21st birthday. The extra supervision will satisfy the hardliners especially when I suggest that her mother will be held accountable for wand use."

"That sounds acceptable." Sirius replied reluctantly. It was a harsher punishment then he was hoping for but the fact that Fudge was willing to go this far without enticements was a good sign.

"What the next topic on the agenda?" Fudege asked as he wanted the meeting over so that he could survey the new political landscape with the demise of the politically influential Malfoys. The shake up could create opportunities to establish new alliances.

"I heard that you were searching for the person who sent the howler to the Malfoys just before they died. You can end the search as I can it was me." Sirius stated matter of factly.

"Thank you for the information. The aurors would appreciate the information even though they have although ruled the deaths accidental." Fudge said dismissively. "Just out of curiousity what did the howler say?"

"I just told them they need to work on a new heir immediately. It seems that Narcissa did not agree." Sirius replied.

"Speaking of the Malfoys. Is it true that you will inherit everything including their title?" Fudge whispered.

"I believe so. We made an agreement where if one of us passed away then the other would inherit everything including the responsibility of our respective charges. This was for the protection of the children."

"Does that mean you will get the Malfoy vote in the Wizemgamot was well?" Fudge asked eagerly.

"I suspect so but I would not know for certain until their wills are read. But I do not really care about politics." Sirius replied honestly.

"If you want you could assign me your proxies so that you don t have to deal with the political game? It is very cut throat and if you do not devote a lot of time to it. The game can eat you alive." Fudge offered quickly. He wanted the votes to sure up his position as Minister

"That is a very kind offer but I want to look for someone to look after my interest." Sirius explained.

"If you want, I am willing to offer you a magical oath to use your votes in your best interests."

"That is not really a good offer since we both know that vote trading for unimportant issues is how you get legislation you want passed." Sirius replied illustrating his understanding of the political process.

"What do you suggest?"

"How about this deal? I give you the Malfoy title including its vote and in return you use your considerable influence to protect me and my godson's interests." Sirius suggested.

"How could you give me the Malfoy title?" Fudge asked with curiousity.

"I was thinking that if you can get the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to declare that Lucius died beofre Narcissa. Then we can create a retrospective marriage contract between the Fudge house and the Malfoy house where her death is considered a breach of contract and you get the house as a result." Fudge realised immediately that it could work and it would not take a lot of work. A big part of him wanted to accept the proposal immediately as this offer will make his family a political force to be reckon with for generations to come.

"Why don't we let our lawyers work out the details of our agreement but I think your proposal is very interesting." Fudge countered.

"Before we begin negotiating can you do me a favour."

"Depends on the favour?" Fudge said cautiously.

"Well as you know, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has not been able to confirm the deaths of the people in Azhaban when the prison was destroyed. So they are considered as in limbo. If you declared them dead as Minister of Magic then their wills will come into play." Sirius explained.

"May I ask why you need such a favour?"

"I am pretty sure that Narcissa Malfoy inherited the LeStrange fortune through her sister Bella." Sirius explained.

"You want the cash and the vote." Fudge suggested."That will not be a problem."

"That is great. You probably have a lot of work to do so I better leave you too."

"Great meeting with you, Mr Black." Fudge said .  
>"I will get my lawyers to contact your lawyers tomorrow." Sirius said as he made his exit. Satisfied in the knowledge he had got everything he could set out to achieve in the meeting. After taking a short celebrating drink at the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius made his way to the Grangers. Dan, Emma and Grant were all waiting for him in their finest clothing.<p>

"What is the occasion?" Sirius asked.

"We have been waiting for an opportunity to introduce you to the British Prime Minister. So that when we do leave the country you can act as our representative. As chance has it, we are going to make a joint announcement today with the British Government. The Prime Minister and his minister for the environment are both attending to get some of the good press. So get changed so that you don't look like a wizard." Emma explained.

"What is the announcement? If you are funding a celibacy before marriage program then you can count me out." Sirius asked in a joking manner.

"Our solar business is going to merge with the National Grid Group which is the company that owns the country's gas and electricity network. We will gain control over the entire network and the government gets over sight plus dividends. It is great deal for everyone. Consumers will be charged less for utilities and employees of the National Grid Group whose jobs would have been threaten by us will not have to worry." Grant explained.

"Are you going to reveal to them how we generate the electricity?"  
>"No. That was not part of the deal we made. The government really wanted that knowledge to be included in any deal but we stood firm refusing such a request. We were in no hurry to do the deal but they had a deadline. We both knew that if they wait too long and enough individual consumers got their own power units then the deal would not be worthwhile." Grant replied.<p>

"Are their still a lot of attempts to discover our company secrets?" Emma asked.

"It has gotten worse. Last week, our security division had identified at least one attempted intrusion per hour. We predict it will get worse before it gets better as we expand into more areas." Grant replied.

"We better get going before we become late." Dan urged.

"Okay. Let us go." Emma said as she lead the others out.

"By the way, what is our relationship and how did we meet?" Dan asked.

"We are trying to keep the lying to the minimum so we are going to say that you are our fellow investor, our daugther's best friend's godfather and family friend. Our first meeting was when we applied for guardianship of Harry." Emma explained.

"What excuse do we give for me not applying for guardianship myself?" Sirius asked.

"You are too much of a womaniser." Dan replied.

"Not too mention too irresponsible and too flighty." Emma added.

"So all my virtues." Sirius said with a smile.

"Speaking of being responsible today. We need you to act like your name and be serious. This meeting is important and establishing a good relationship with the Prime Minister is essential to our future plans. So do not good around chasing interns." Emma warned.

"I can be charming when I want." Sirius replied as he gave Emma one of his winning smiles.

"That will not work on me. I know you too well." Emma replied while smiling showing that she was not as immune as she claimed.

A/N I will be changing the story from being categorised as adventure/angst to humour/angst. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.


	60. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Professor McGonagall approached Harry and Hermione right after breakfast.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Please come with me." The professor asked curtly.

"What is this about?" Harry asked, still seated.

"Mr Black is waiting for you in my office." McGonagall replied.

"Why is Sirius here?" Hermione asked.

"He is here to take you to see your lawyers." McGonagall said.

"Why do we need lawyers for?"' Hermione asked. She was getting frustrated by the Professor's lack of response. What Hermione did not know was that McGonagall wanted Sirius out of her office as quickly as possible. Leaving Sirius alone in an empty office was just asking for trouble but she had no other option. The house elves were busy with breakfast and the students would soon be leaving for there classes.

"The Ministry is launching an inquiry tomorrow. You are both required to give testimony" McGonagall replied tersely.

"What about the rest of us? Will we be required to provide evidence as well?" Susan asked with concern.

"If you entered the Chamber of Secrets the other day then you will be required to give a statement. Before you ask, those students will be seeing their own legal representatives later today. Since you will all be required to give evidence tomorrow, they will question the professors the day after" McGonagall said quickly.

"What if we cannot afford lawyers?" Lisa asked, as she knew her father was a tight ass and would never fork out money for a lawyer.

"Mr. Black has offered to pay for your legal fees. A few of your families have already taken him up on his offer." McGonagall admitted with distaste. She knew the offer was an insult to her and the other professors suggesting that they would not have put the best interests of their students first.

"Are our lawyers coming here or are we going to their offices?" Susan asked.

"Why does it matter?" McGonagall asked impatiently.

"If the meetings were conducted in classrooms then the portraits or house elves could report what is said in the meetings to the headmaster" Susan explained reasonably.

"The headmaster would not do such a thing!" Professor McGonagall replied in outrage.

"You might trust him but we don't. Especially since the morning paper suggested that he could be facing possible charges for his conduct" Susan said cynically.

"I am sure it is just a misunderstanding and he will be vindicated at the inquiry" McGonagall replied assuredly.

"You might believe that but we don't" Hermione stated coolly.

McGonagall knew that the Professors were under a lot of scrutiny from the Ministry. She did not need the additional headaches that a major dispute with a student would cause.

"Alright, I will need to speak to the headmaster to make alternate arrangements." McGonagall conceded. "Now are you two ready?"

Harry and Hermione both nodded before standing up.

Sirius took them to their magical lawyers' meeting room. They were surprised to see Dan and Emma waiting for them as well. Greetings were exchanged.

"When will the lawyers be ready for us?" Hermione asked.

"We have an hour before the consultations and I have booked this room until then." Sirius explained.

"What is this inquiry about?" Harry asked.

"With all the accusations flying about, the Minister and Amelia Bones decided a public inquiry is needed to sort out the truth from the lies. It will be focused on the Chamber of Secrets especially the two related deaths. Witnesses will be required to answer questions under truth serum." Sirius explained. Seeing the concerned looks on Harry and Hermione's faces he decided to put their concerns at rest. "Don't worry. Ashley has developed an antidote to the truth serum they are using."

"That is great!" Hermione exclaimed. "Everyone thought that it was not possible to develop an antidote. That is a massive achievement. Is she going to publish it?" Hermione concluded excitedly.

"She is not going to publish it as she can see how it could go against our goals to have such a potion out in the open. She has agreed to keep the formula secret from everyone but us. Not even her apprentices are in the know." Sirius informed them.

"She must be disappointed to discover such a major breakthrough and not be able to release the findings" Hermione stated.

"Ashley actually was not that disappointed. She claimed that Snape did most of the work and if she published it, he would likely recognize his own work. Especially since he was one ingredient off getting the potion to work" Sirius explained.

"What was the ingredient?" Hermione asked.

"Saliva from the liar bird" Sirius replied. Hermione burst out laughing at Snape missing such an obvious ingredient for an anti truth serum potion.

"When are we going to get the antidote?" Harry asked.

"We will give it to you on the day since the potion does not have a long shelf life and it is most effective taken just before the truth serum is administered." Sirius replied.

"Speaking of the inquiry, can you make sure that Lockhart testifies?" Harry asked with a mischievous smile.

"We have already taken care of that. Amelia Bones has a list of questions to ask and one of our reporters are tailing him so he does not run away. The reporter has already caught him trying to get away five times already. One time he took polyjuice to look like Flitwick when he made his escape. The potion wore off while he was in the custody of some aurors. Lockhart's girlish screams as his underwear became too tight frighten the aurors so he almost got away. If his clothing had not restricted his movements so much he would have made it. I'll give you photos of it sometime. It was hilarious" Sirius said with a smirk.

"Can you also make sure that Dumbledore's phoenix is not allowed at the Ministry?" Hermione asked.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"We are planning to separate Dumbledore from his phoenix and having him busy at the Ministry would be the perfect time for our plan" Hermione replied.

"I thought that the pheonix was his familiar" Sirius asked confused.

"The pheonix is not his familiar. He bound the pheonix to him years ago" Hermione huffed.

"Can I report that in my paper?" Sirius asked with a malicious grin.

"I recommend that you wait until after we break the bond, of course this is just a suggestion" Hermione said slyly.

"What are you planning?" Sirius asked recognizing the look on Hermione's face.

"Just wait. I don't want to spoil the surprise. But I will suggest that you would not want to be close to Dumbledore when the bond breaks" Hermione said.

"If you are going to be that way then I won't tell you what is happening at the inquiry" Sirius replied childishly.

"Are the results of the inquiry predetermined?" Dan asked with curiously.

"Snape and the Weaselette have both copped early plea deals which are going to be announced at the end of the inquiry. Dumbledore is the only one holding out and he is believes that the Wizengamot will clear him of all charges" Sirius replied.

"Is he going to get off?" Emma asked.

"He might. Dumbledore is one slippery character. His old faction will want to crucify him. What we don't know is the support he has in the other factions. I know members of the pureblood supremacist faction are remaining closed lipped. That is usually a sign that there are secret agreements in place" Sirius responded.

"So what pleas have the youngest Weasel and Snape agreed to?" Hermione asked.

"You tell me what you are planning?" Sirius countered.

"Just tell us" Emma said warningly.

"Yes madam. Snape has lost his family fortune. While the youngest Weasley is going to be expelled from Hogwarts and can only use her wand under supervision for the next 10 years with her mother responsible for any trouble she does" Sirius replied.

"How did you get that plea?" Hermione asked with surprise. "I thought she would be going to Azkaban for sure."

"Who said I had anything to do with it" Sirius replied.

"Sirius" Emma said threateningly.

"Alright, I know how you wanted that Weasley away from you but not necessarily in Azkaban. So I suggested that in her permanent records, it would show five failed attempts at OWLs and there be a ban from her from getting her NEWTS in anything. The members of the Wizengamot liked the idea of blood traitors having such a black mark against their name" Sirius said with a grin.

"What is going to happen with Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"He is going to be exonerated since it will hurt Dumbledore. When Hagrid read that article of ours he became mad at Dumbledore. Hagrid finally realized that Dumbledore was only using him. I would like to be there the next time the two of them meet especially after Dumbledore finds out about the 50 thousand galleons compensation demand, Hagrid is requesting from him" Sirius said with a sly tone.

"Speaking of compensation, how much is Moaning Myrtle's family getting?" Harry asked curiously.

"Nothing" Sirius admitted.

"Why?" Hermione replied in shock.

"She is a muggle-born and no one else from her family is magical so the Wizengamot does not care about them. When I receive compensation for Draco's death, I plan to pass on a significant amount to Myrtle's family" Sirius replied.

"Do you need help in locating Myrtle's family?" Dan asked.

"I got that sorted. My new poker buddies have started looking for me" Sirius replied.

"Who are your poker buddies?" Harry asked.

"The British Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition, the Treasurer, the Police Commissioner and the Head of MI5" Sirius said as he pretended to clean his nails to the shock of everyone else in the room.

"How did you organize that?" Emma asked in shock.

"The British Prime Minister and his Labour Party counterpart are both mad that the Magical Community is getting away with so many crimes for so long. They have decided to start a joint Police and MI5 taskforce with assistance from us to investigate magical crime. Once a week we meet to discuss the results and plan what we will do when they confront the Minister of Magic. This meeting is done under the cover of a weekly poker game" Sirius explained.

"Do you need help planning the government's response?" Hermione asked.

"It's better if you are not involved" Sirius replied. Suddenly the lamps started flickering.

"What is happening?" Hermione asked.

"The leprechauns are letting us know that someone is at the door. It is most likely the lawyers" Emma replied.

"Why are the leprechauns here?" Hermione asked with surprise.

"After the Outcast Organization reached an agreement with them, we learnt a lot about them. It turns out they are the best warders in the world even better than goblins. When countries stopped using real gold for currency a lot of them had to find a new occupation. Swapping people's real gold with their fake ones was a common occupation in their society before the change in currency made it unprofitable. Warding became their replacement occupation since they became good at it trying to protect their pots of gold" Emma explained.

"So they actually have pots of gold?" Harry asked.

"Yes they do. It is the savings from what they steal. If they are ever caught, then the person who catches them gets the pot of gold" Emma explained.

"Are the goblins the best at ward breaking?" Hermione asked.

"Not by a long shot. The best at ward breaking is actually gnomes. A popular story going around is how the goblins with their human helpers spent several years trying to break into an egyptian crypt. One of our new professors who learnt to ward break from the gnomes walked right through the wards like they were not there and took everything. When the goblins actually made it in they found nothing. That pissed them off so much they almost brought the structure down upon themselves" Dan explained.

"We really should meet our lawyers." Hermione suggested. "How do we let the leprechauns know we are ready?"

"We just turn off a lamp." Dan replied as he did just that.

Dumbledore walked confidently into the Ministry with Fawkes on his shoulder. He was not happy that he was banned from attending the inquiry yesterday. The Ministry officials claimed that his presence might prejudice the children's testimonies. Instead, their testimonies made him look like an incompetent headmaster who played favorites which the media exploited to make another dig at him. If only he was there, he could have minimized the damage to his reputation. At least, today he had a chance to fight back as he was going be called as a witness. In fact he was the first one up. He wanted to be last so he can revoke all the accusations made against him but his opponents pushed disagreed. So he was stuck as the first adult witness.

Just before he entered the Wizengamot chambers, a court official intercepted him.

"Sorry sir, but no pets allowed." The court official told Dumbledore.

"This is not a pet. His is my familiar" Dumbledore replied arrogantly.

"It is still an animal" the Officer responded

"A phoenix is not just an animal. It is a creature of light and will ensure that evil will not get its way" Dumbledore said patronizingly.

"So your familiar will influence members of the Wizengamot. Another reason for you to get rid of that bird" the Officer said impatiently.

Just as Dumbledore was about to lay into the court officer, Amelia Bones approached.

"Is there a problem?" Amelia asked.

"No." Dumbledore replied. He could not afford a confrontation with the Head of the MLE in his current state of disfavor. So Dumbledore commanded Fawkes to head back to Hogwarts. Fawkes obediently flamed away.

"The Wizengamot is waiting for you. Please head to the witness box" Amelia suggested.

When Dumbledore finally looked at the assembled Wizengamot, he was shocked to see so many unfamiliar faces. He desperately searched for the members who owed him favors and to his horror a lot of them were missing. That was when he realized what happened. Draco's death scared a lot of them away. The members who owed him favors were the ones who had relatives that were Death eaters. If they thought that Voldemort was coming back with a debt to settle then many of them would have head for the hills. This scared Dumbledore like nothing else would. The possibility of going to prison made a strategic retreat(or running away) an attractive option. It was too late now but there would be plenty of opportunities later.

"Please swear the oath before you" the Court Official informed Dumbledore.

"I am not going swear this oath. If I say something wrong or forgot about something then I will lose my magic" Dumbledore said in outrage.

"Since you have previously lied to this court while under truth serum. This is your only option" the officer said while looking at a document.

"When have I lied to this court?" Dumbledore asked.

"So far we have confirmed four times so far" the Officer related.

"That cannot be true" Dumbledore said pretending to be in shock.

"You said that Sirius Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was not a death eater, Harry Potter was safe after his parents died and you did not know the true identity of Voldemort" the Officer relayed back to Dumbledore while reading from his document.

"I did not lie. At the time I made those statements I must have believed they were true" Dumbledore replied.

"We have found evidence to suggest that you knew the facts were false before you made your statements in front of this body. According to our experts, someone you know deliberately removed the knowledge from your mind before you made the statements and probably put it back afterwards. That is why you cannot be allowed to testify under truth serum" the court official explained.

"Then I refused to testify" Dumbledore announced. The court official conferred with the Chief Warlock.

"Mr. Dumbledore, if you refuse to swear the oath then I will hold you in contempt of the court" The Chief Warlock threatened.

"I doubt you have the numbers to push such a motion." Dumbledore replied daringly. He wanted to see if the proxies or replacements would uphold the deals he previously made. To his relief, they upheld the deals and his contempt charges were squashed. What shocked him was that most of his old allies who were now in the minority and had voted for a conviction. That meant someone had discovered his loyalty charms and removed them. Dumbledore tried to remove the requirement for an oath but he lacked the support. It fell outside the terms of the deals he had made. Seeing no other option, Dumbledore refused to testify.

So the next witness was called. He watched as Hagrid was brought in. To his shock, Hagrid was giving him the evil eye. Dumbledore sat up with interest when Amelia asked Hagrid if Dumbledore knew that he had a giant spider and not a basilisk."

"He knew that I had a giant spider as the headmaster helped me get a mate for my spider" Hagrid replied as he stared at Dumbledore with contempt.

"In other words, he knew you were innocent of Myrtle's death. Since her death was caused by a snake rather than a spider" Amelia explained.

"That is correct" Hagrid replied.

"When the Minister came to arrest you after the cat got petrified what did Dumbledore do?" Amelia asked.

"He told me to go with the authorities and not to say anything" Hagrid replied. Dumbledore could see where this was leading and stood up and exclaimed.

"That was not what I said" Dumbledore said pompously.

"Are you willing to swear an oath for that statment?" The Chief Warlock asked.

"No" Dumbledore replied.

"Then please sit down and stop interrupting proceedings." Chief Warlock instructed. Dumbledore reluctantly complied as he did not want to be chucked out and banned. The inquiry did not get any better for the ex-Chief Warlock. Crouch Senior, who was part of the original murder investigation, deliberately blamed Dumbledore for the rushed job. The rest of the aurors made the same comments or claimed not to remember the original investigation. Snape's testimony which Dumbledore was hoping would be his saving grace turned into another nail in his coffin. He might not go to prison but his remaining positions of authorities was heading the way of the dodo, extinction.

The final witness for the inquiry was Lockhart. When the court official approached Lockhart with the truth serum, Lockhart announced:

"I got this fake Healers certificate saying I am allergic to truth serum" Amelia pounced and asked.

"How and why did you get the fake Healers certificate?"

"I bribed Healer Chapman, two thousand galleons to give me a fake healers certificate as I do not want to reveal some of my secrets" Lockhart replied.

"What secrets?" Amelia asked.

"I am a paid assassin and troubleshooter" Lockhart responded with a red face.

"Who are your clients?" Amelia charged on.

"I work for one client exclusively. They pay direct to my vault with instructions delivered by general post owls" Lockhart said.

"What was your most recent job?" Amelia asked sharply.

"Well my current job is to evaluate Dumbledore's performance in preaching the pureblood doctrine to the next generation. The job before this one was a failed attempt to interrupt the negotiations between the magical and muggle governments in the US. Their security is way better than anything I encountered previously" Lockhart said

"What was your biggest job?" Amelia asked precisely.

"I had to kill a wizard who discovered the cure for werewolves. The killing was not difficult it was the changing of people's memories to think that he was a werewolf that was hard. He had good standing in the local community when I arrived and I had to destroy that. This meant changing everyone's memory of the guy" Lockhart replied calmly.

"How do you kill your targets?" Amelia replied with hard eyes.

"I can only use memory related spells so I have to resort to muggle weapons like guns to do my job" Lockhart responded in monotone.

"Are there any truths in your books?" Amelia asked in a suspicious tone.

"No. They are fabrications of what I want people to believe" Lockhart replied.

The testimony went on and on. Everyone was shocked by his revelations. As the session of the inquiry came to a close, a dementor flew directly at Dumbledore. Luckily for Dumbledore, one of the court officers was able to cast a patronus charm before the dementor came too close to the audience. Aurors came and herded the dementor into a containment area to be examined. An exclamation from one of the aurors drew everyone's attention.

"This dementor is Dumbledore's familiar!" the auror said.

"Fawkes!" Dumbledore screamed before racing for an exit. One of the aurors deliberately walked into his path and prevented him from leaving.

"Get out of my way" Dumbledore told the auror.

"Please stay in your seat while we investigate what is happening with the stray dementor" the Auror said forcefully while pushing Dumbledore back. Dumbledore could see other Aurors arriving and reluctantly made his way back to his seat.

Half hour later order was called in the court room. The senior investigator of the dementor situation entered the witness stand to deliver his report.

"Did you discover why the dementor entered the court room?" the Chief Warlock asked.

"The dementor was seeking out its owner and familiar bond mate, the Former Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore" the investigator replied gravely.

"I thought his familiar was a phoenix. Does this mean he has two familiars now?" Amelia asked.

"No Madam. We believe that his phoenix broke his previous familiar bond. Probably because Mr. Dumbledore has turn away from the light. This open bond attracted the dementor who then latched on" the auror replied to the disgust of Dumbledore. He knew this was pure speculation and it was really damaging his reputation. The media was going to portray him as the new dark lord.

"Is the dementor a threat to Mr. Dumbledore?" the new Chief Warlock asked.

"No sir. The dementor cannot devour Mr. Dumbledore's soul without killing itself due to the familiar bond. This bond will give Mr. Dumbledore a certain amount of control over the dementor. For the duration of the inquiry I recommend that the dementor be keep in its holding cell" the auror replied. Umbridge gave Dumbledore a glare filled with jealousy.

"So ordered. Since the Dementor was not trying to kill a witness, I order the inquiry to recommence. Madam Bones do you any more questions for Mr. Lockhart?" The Chief Warlock announced.

"No, your honour" Amelia Bones replied.

"Do you wish to call your next witness?" the Chief Warlock asked.

"We do not have any unless Mr. Dumbledore is willing to testify, your honor" Amelia asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"Mr. Dumbledore, do you wish to testify?" the Chief Warlock asked.

"No" Dumbledore said with no hint of respect.

"We will resume tomorrow morning where I will announce our findings and suggested sentences" the Chief Warlock announced before getting up to leave. Dumbledore was one of the first ones to exit the chamber. He went straight to his office at Hogwarts to find everything burnt to a crisp and Fawkes missing.

"Fawkes! Where are you?" Dumbledore yelled as he fell to his knees.

"Fawkes, please come back to me!" Dumbledore pleaded with no response. After a few minutes crying on his knees, Dumbledore got up with purpose burning in his eyes. He walked to his private quarters to find the place in the same state as his office, covered in ash with nothing to scavenge. Fearful that Fawkes destroyed everything in the school, Dumbledore proceeded to his deputy's office. To his relief, he it found the office in its normal ordered state. His next stop was Snape's office. He had two reasons for the visit, the first reason was to check that it was not destroyed and the second reason was to reclaim the things he had collected from Fawkes over the years. Upon arriving at Snape's office, he found the room clustered as always to his relief. That relief was short lived as all the phoenix products were missing. Luckily that was all that was missing from what he could tell. Still, the loss of all those valuable potion ingredients was going to be a massive headache for him.

As he began cleaning up his office, Dumbledore discovered the sorting hat hidden in the ash.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"Fawkes was using his perch to scratch himself when suddenly he made a triumph screech and began burning everything in sight. I had to use my limited ability to shield myself as everything else around me burned" lied the Sorting Hat. In actual fact, Hermione had stolen the portraits after she transferred Dumbledore's artificial familiar bond to the dementor. This was to prevent Dumbledore from using the portraits to spy for him.

"So the auror was correct, Fawkes broke my bonds himself" Dumbledore said in shock and disbelief.

"What am I going to do for clothes?" Dumbledore exclaimed to no one in particular when he realized all of his belongings had been turned to ashes including his entire wardrobe.

Omake

Severus Snape desperately searched his office and private quarters for the ingredients required for a dreamless potion. His addiction to the potion began after the death of his godson, Draco Malfoy. He could no longer sleep without the potion and today had been a particularly stressful day for him. Tomorrow was going to be worse and he needed the rest. After an unsuccessful search, Snape decided to take a risk and harvest the ingredients from the Forbidden Forest himself. Collecting the instruments he needed, Severus made his way into the Forbidden Forest. As soon as he lost sight of the castle, Snape encountered an unfamiliar ward blocking his path. Knowing nothing about warding, Severus decided to blast his way through. He raised his wand and sent his most power reducto hex at the ward. What happened next shocked him, the curse was absorbed by the ward and converted into a shockwave that sent him flying through the trees and into the Black Lake. The impact with the water robbed him of his conscious.

When Severus Snape awoke, he was lying face down, soaking wet covered in leaves and branches with an unknown number of broken bones.

"This could not get any worse" Severus said.

Suddenly, an arrow came flying from the Forbidden Forrest straight into his butt. The sharp pain from the arrow made him run screaming towards the castle. His screams woke the students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses, who watched from the dorms as the most hated professor ran towards the castle with his hands at his butt. Colin was the first student to take a photo but he was certainly not the last. Flashes from the castle and students laughing made Snape aware that he was being watched. He stopped running and straighten his robes before walking in a more dignified manner. This did not work as he was limping from the wound in his arse. Students laughter followed him as he made his way to the school infirmary.

"What happened?" Healer Chapman asked.

"I had a problem in the Forbidden Forest." Snape replied as he did not want the details to be generally known.

"Could you please sit on one of these beds so that I can examine you?"

"I can't" Snape replied, as he pointed to the arrow in his butt.

"Okay. Please lie face down on that bed please" Snape complied.

Healer Chapman used some diagnostic spells to determine what injuries Snape was suffering from. He removed the arrow and started treatment for the various injuries. It was not too long before Snape was asleep recovering from his ordeal. Chapman examined the arrow in case it had any poison on it only to discover an attached note. The note read, "You are no longer welcome! Intrusions into our territory would be considered an act of war and would be treated as such. _Bane Centaur- Defence Leader_."

"I better tell the staff about this" Healer Chapman said.

A/N Sorry for the delay. A big thank you to my new beta, Soraslove. Thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	61. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

Sirius Black looked on gleefully as a depressed and sleep deprived Dumbledore walked into the Wizengamot chamber. The absence of Fawkes and the dementor's presence had prevented Dumbledore from getting much sleep. His wrinkled robes and visible ash stains, made it obvious he had not changed from yesterday. A court official directed him to the defendants' table to his distaste. Waiting for him at the table were Lockhart, Hagrid and Ginny. They were all giving him death glares. When they smelt and saw the headmaster coming, there was a lot of jostling for the seat furthest away from him. Hagrid won as he was the biggest, Ginny came in second (even though Hagrid was giving Ginny death stares) and Lockhart who had magical restraints on was forced to sit next to the smelly Headmaster. Severus Snape stumbled in looking like he had been run over by a bus arrived just before the Chief Warlock announced his findings.

After reviewing the investigations, the Chief Warlock announced his judgments.

"We wish to begin by clearing Rubeus Hagrid of all charges. The ministry apologizes for the trouble we caused you, Mr. Hagrid. In compensation for the damage we have inadvertently done to you, we reward you 50 thousand galleons plus the late Muriel Prewitt's estate. The ministry authorizes you to purchase a replacement wand and will cover the cost. Mr. Hagrid, do you wish to challenge this judgment?"

"No, your honour" Hagrid replied happily.

"Severus Tobias Snape, we find you guilty of professional negligence causing death. You will surrender the Prince inheritance to Lord Black to compensate him for the lost of his heir. Do you wish to challenge this decision, Mr. Snape?"

"No, your honour" Snape replied weakly.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, we find you guilty of being accomplice to murder. Due to your age, we, the Wizengamot recommend that your permanent record show five failed attempts on all your OWLs. This makes it illegal for you to use your wand without adult supervision until you are 21 years old and disqualifies you from taking your NEWTs. Do you wish to challenge this judgment?"

"No, your honour" Ginny replied timidly. Her lawyer had told her this was the best possible outcome they could hope to achieve. She was extremely lucky not to go to prison based on the evidence they had obtained. The massive gaps in her memory did not help matters as it made impossible for her to defend herself against the charges. Sirius used the memory gaps to imply that she was doing things at Dumbledore's request.

"Mr. Lockhart, we order that you be remain in custody until your statements before this inquiry has been investigated. If your statements are substantiated by third parties, we recommend that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement proceed with the normal prosecution process. Please take him away." The Chief Warlock ordered. This left Dumbledore alone on the defendants' table.

"Mr. Albus Dumbledore, we find your actions despicable and criminal. Your refusal to testify leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If it was up to me, you would be going to prison but the Wizengamot has decided the following. Your vaults will be seized and passed to Lord Black to compensate him for the lost of his heir. Gringotts has been informed that you are no longer to be allow access to any vaults. You are no longer eligible for guardianship over any minor which of course includes your previous defunct magical guardianship for muggle-born students. We strongly recommend that you be removed from the position of headmaster of Hogwarts. Do you wish to challenge this judgment?"

"I definitely do" Dumbledore replied quickly.

"Until your repeal can be heard, my judgment stands. This inquiry is closed" The Chief Warlock announced before making his exit. Dumbledore was the first one out of his seat heading straight for the whip of the largest Wizengamot faction. Everyone could tell he was desperately trying to reduce his sentence. When suddenly Dumbledore dropped onto his knees and wailed.

"Please don't let them take everything away from me" Dumbledore whinged pathetically.

"Albus, you are extremely lucky not to be in prison right now. I would not push my luck if I was you" The whip said before turning his back on Dumbledore and leaving the old wizard on the ground with his reputation in ruins.

He got up and straightened his robes and walked out of the chamber with as much dignity as he could manage. Just outside the doors, the chairman of the Hogwarts school board approached him with letter in hand.

"I am sorry, professor but we, the school board, have no choice but to suspend you from Hogwarts. If we don't take some sort of action against you then we would be crucified ourselves." the chairman explained to Dumbledore.

"It is not your fault" Dumbledore said somberly.

"We will organize someone to give you back your belongings" The chairman said abruptly.

"Can I not go to Hogwarts to pack up myself?" Dumbledore asked disbelievingly.

"Sorry but for you to waltz into Hogwarts right now is not a good idea. If the public reaction eases long enough we might be able to give you back your job. So keep your head down and stay out of trouble" The chairman replied before leaving a depressed Dumbledore just standing there with nowhere to go.

"Things cannot get any worse" Dumbledore said to himself. At that moment, his new dementor familiar came rushing towards him. Not wanting to stick around and remind the public of his new familiar, Dumbledore raced to the nearest public floo. He first tried his brother's pub only to be knocked back. Thinking that someone else was probably using the fireplace, he flooed to the Three Broomsticks and made his way on foot to his brother's pub. He was shocked to see his brother sitting on the street with a few belongings next to him. As soon as, Aberforth saw his brother, he took out his wand and petrified Albus. He vanished Albus' clothes and put him in the goats enclosure. It was not long before Albus learnt why goats were called randy.

"This is taste of your own medicine! How does it feel to be on the receiving end for once?" Aberforth yelled.

It was nightfall before a bloodied and bruised Albus was released from the goats enclosure. The first question Albus asked his brother was.

"What did you do that for?" Dumbledore asked his brother dazedly.

"You got me chucked out of my home and I lost my business" Aberforth said angrily.

"How did that happen?" Albus asked confused.

"Do you remember how mum left us this pub?" Aberforth asked leadingly.

"If I remember correctly, it was fifty fifty so there was no arguments about favouritism" Albus said slowly.

"The goblins decided that you own more of the pub than I do since you did not withdraw any money from the business and I lived in the pub rent free for most of my life. So when your assets were frozen by the courts, I was chucked out of this place" Aberforth said looking at this brother with distain.

"I am sorry you got dragged into this mess" Albus replied sincerely.

A satisfied Sirius Black headed for his meeting with Remus. He knew that Dumbledore was not out of the game. The entire performance in the Wizengamot Chamber where he made his plea was just an act. Dumbledore was a very smart operator and would have prepared for such a scenario by hiding money in the muggle world under fake identities. His performance was to an attempt to lull his opponents into writing him off so he could strike from the shadows. This made Dumbledore even more dangerous now than he was ever was before. Sirius was brought out of his thoughts by the arrival of Remus.

"Moony, my old friend; what has been happening?" Sirius asked.

"Wondering where the hell you have been" Remus replied as he hugged his friend.

"Dodging assassination attempts" Sirius replied seriously.

"That is why you should leave politics to the professionals. Dumbledore is great to have survived so long" Remus said.

"I have absolutely no faith in Dumbledore; just look what happened to me when I trusted him. Ten years in prison for a crime I didn't commit" Sirius said stiffly.

"Dumbledore made a mistake. He is only human but he wants what is best for everyone" Remus said trying to convince Sirius.

"You must be extremely gullible to be believe that. Have you not read the various newspapers about his wrong doing?" Sirius asked disbelievingly.

"That is just the journalists making stuff up to sell more newspapers. They should go to prison for what they are doing to such a great man" Remus said blindly.

"Have you not followed the inquiry about the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius asked with shock.

"That is just a witch hunt" Remus replied to the disappointment of Sirius.

"You need to face the reality that Dumbledore is not a good man" Sirius replied.

"Never going to happen" Remus replied with determination.

"I think we can agree to disagree on that. So what have you been doing?" Sirius asked deciding not to pursue this line of conversation any longer.

"I have been looking for work but you know how hard it is for someone with my furry problem" Remus said somberly.

"Have you tried looking overseas? I heard there are a lot of opportunities abroad" Sirius asked.

"I have tried but the countries with the opportunities are refusing me entry for some reason" Remus replied with consternation.

"Could it be your association with Dumbledore. He is not looked on favorably in a lot countries" Sirius said honestly.

"Dumbledore has a great reputation all over the world. I am sure it not that" Remus said dismissively.

"I think you are behind the times. Anyway, if you are looking for work I might have something for you" Sirius said.

"What is the job?" Remus asked eagerly.

"You know the mirrors James and I had?" Sirius asked.

"You mean, the ones which allow you to communicate with each other?" Remus replied.

"Those are the ones. I need you to write instructions on how to make them" Sirius said.

"I need the original mirrors and our notebooks, but sure" Remus replied.

"I get you those stuff tomorrow and do you think you can have done by next month?" Sirius asked

"It should not be a problem" Remus replied.

They then turned to less serious matters in order to avoid another argument.

"Do you remember that time James turned the entire Slytherin Quidditch team's robes into tight male ballerina costumes. The laughter in the Great Hall was enormous especially since they had just finished practicing outside in the middle of winter so they all had shrinkage problems. After that Levine, the Slytherin Chaser at the time, started having trouble with his girlfriend MacAdams" Sirius said with a chuckle.

"My personal favourite was the time you stuck Snape's lips to Slughorn's butt. How on earth did you do that prank?" Remus asked in amused tone of voice.

"I heard that they were going to be working on a potion during lunch. So just before lunch I made a potion that creates a noxious vapour which would knock anyone out. Put the cauldron under a notice me not charm. During lunch, when I said I needed to go to the bathroom, I was really going to Slughorn's classroom. It was really easy for me to attach Snape's lips to Slughorn's ass with superglue. They were lucky I did not do something worse to them. I was tempted to superglue Snape's tongue up Slughorn's butt" Sirius explained.

"That was absolutely brilliant. Since everyone saw you during lunch they did not suspect you to be the culprit. Lily was suspected for a while since she was in the library at the time studying for an exam. Did you ever tell her you were responsible?" Remus asked.

"Are you crazy? She would have killed me" Sirius replied.

Reluctantly Sirius got up and said, "I have to go to another meeting."

"Who with?" Remus asked curiously.

"No one you know" Sirius replied. He took an international floo connection to Transylvania where he was meant by Emily.

"Are you sure I have to meet the Count? I heard the stories about what he does to non-vampires." Sirius asked with fear.

"We need their help. Vampires are the world experts on soul and blood magic and if we wish to learn how to destroy horcruxes without killing Harry then we will need their knowledge" Emily explained.

"Why can't Dan, Grant or Harry do this?" Sirius whinged.

"Dan and Grant are not magical enough and Harry is too young. Stop being a baby and go meet Count Dracula. He is not that bad" Emily said as she pushed Sirius towards a massive door before following him.

"Welcome to Count Dracula's home. We have been expecting you, please follow me, Lord Black" the Gypsy Butler said. They were lead through a very dark mansion to the formal dining room.

"Lord Sirius Black here to see you, my lord" the Butler announced.

"Thank you, you may leave" Count Dracula said to his butler.

Sirius and Emily entered a room lit by candles. The room was dominated by a massive dining table. At the end furthest away from Sirius sat the Count and his coven.

"Welcome to my home, Lord Black. I have heard good things about you from our mutual allies, the Outcast organisation" The Count said.

"Thank you for meeting me, my lord count" Sirius said as he and Emily bowed.

"No need for formalities between friends. Please call me, Vlad and these are my wives, Tatjana, Druzella, Lucy and Cassandra" the count replied.

"Thank you, Vlad. Please call me, Sirius. This is my colleague, Emily" Sirius replied.

"Why don't we retire to my study and leave the ladies to get acquainted?" Dracula suggested. Seeing Sirius's reluctance, he added. "You have my assurance that nothing will happen to your colleague" the Count said.

"That sounds great" Sirius replied happily while Emily was pleading with her eyes not to leave her.

Once Sirius was alone with Dracula "If you don't mind me saying so, You have very beautiful wives, Vlad."

"They might look lovely now but you would not agree after you experience their first month of pms together. Four women all angry at the same time. It is a nightmare."

"At least you get a nice snack out of it, every month" Sirius replied to try to lighten the mood.

"If only. They do not bleed as they can no longer become pregnant due to the vampire curse. But for some reason they still experience the cramps and the mood swings" the Count said exasperatedly.

"Have they tried the magical potion?" Sirius replied remembering the recent success of Emma's first venture. The sale of the potion to ease period pain for muggles was so great that they have been unable to keep up with demand. As soon as the stock arrives in stores, it is sold out days before the next shipment is schedule to arrive. Rumour has it that some women who have particularly difficult periods are stockpiling the potion because it is so effective and they are scared that some organisation will attempt to stop its sale. Quiet a few pharmaceutical companies were not happy as it has greatly reduce their sales and profit as a result.

"It does not work with them" the Count said somberly.

"How about the birth control pill? I have heard it helps regular and eases periods in some women" Sirius.

"I will suggest that" Dracula replied thoughtfully. "So let us get down to business. Your organisation wishes to learn things from us in particularly blood and soul magic."

"That is correct. Vampires are the world experts in those areas according to our sources" Sirius replied.

"Well we are definitely the experts in blood magic but our knowledge of soul magic is limited. The ancients Egyptians and the Chinese studied soul magic a lot more than us. Do you have a particular reason for the request?" Dracula asked.

"Well…" Sirius replied hesitantly as he was unsure whether he should tell Dracula about their reason.

"You might as well tell me. As you are well aware, any agreement with vampires are sealed by an exchange of blood which you don't necessarily have to drink. What you might not know is that we find out a lot of about the person when we drink their blood. That is if we are strong enough to overcome their will. So you might as well tell me" Dracula said.

"We trying to get rid of Horcruxes without destroying the container" Sirius said.

"I cannot think of any method off the top of my head. Your researchers might be able to find something in my private library. But you might be better off looking for my map of ancient Egypt. It has the locations of tombs that even the goblins have no clue about. That will give you access to knowledge that the ancient egyptians had on the soul. I can also introduce you to the eternal emperor of China" Dracula said with a pondering expression.

"That would be brilliant" Sirius replied excitedly.

"What are you willing to offer?" Dracula asked.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked calmly.

"I want your organisation to find out what makes the soil around here special. It is very difficult to travel when you need to bring soil from home everywhere you go. There are countries I have never been to because they don't allow my soil to enter like Australia" Dracula said with slight annoyance.

"I think we can agree to that" Sirius replied.

After an exchange of oaths, Dracula drank some of Sirius' blood before giving him a blood replenishing potion.

"So what did you find?" Sirius asked.

"You are in a desperate search for love but you are scare of commitment due to your fear of abandonment. That is why you sleep around all the time."

"Do you have any advice for me?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"Never turn your in-laws. It will make eternal life a nightmare" Dracula replied jokingly.

"Speaking from experience I see. Maybe I should negotiate with your in-laws instead" Sirius teased.

"They are no longer around. I had to sacrifice one of my villas in order to get rid of them but it was well worth it" Dracula said with a sly smile.

"Does your wife know?" Sirius asked with smirk.

"No and if you don't want any of your secrets to see the light of day then you will not tell them" Dracula said with a slight threat.

"Alright. Do you have any real advice for me?" Sirius asked.

"You need to forgive your mother. She was not really an evil person. No one is totally evil, look at me. I am called Vlad the impaler, known for killing thousands. What is not commonly known is that most of my kills were foreigners looking to invade my lands. I prefer getting blood from my servants, who I occasionally turn either by accident or on purpose. The people I turn are supposed to be the protectors of my people but that does not always work out that way. Anyway what I am trying to say is once you understand people then no one is truly evil they are just different. So I want you to try to understand your mother. Describe your mother to me" Vlad suggested.

"Well, she hated me" Sirius said somberly.

"Not true. If she truly hated you then you would be dead" Dracula said.

"Then why did she drive me away?" Sirius asked.

"Look at her friends. What would have happened if you had stuck around?" Dracula asked.

"I would have been killed" Sirius replied softly. "Then why does her portrait hate me so much?"

"How would you like it if you died alone?" Dracula drawled.

"I would not like it" Sirius admitted. "Why could she not change friends?"

"Before I answer that question think about pureblood philosophies. It is all about maintaining the status quo. If change does occur then these people would be left behind and forgotten. No one wants to be forgotten. So fear is what motivates these people. If your mother was brought up with these beliefs, who else can she relate to besides her existing circle of friends?" Dracula asked.

"So she was a lot more stuck than I was" Sirius realized.

"Old people find it harder to change then young people. She did not abandon you. You were her child, she loved you no matter what path you choose" Vlad said as he got up to give Sirius some space. He could tell, Sirius was on the verge of crying.

It took some time for Sirius to regain he composure. Once he was ready he went back into the dining where a wide eyed blushing Emily was waiting.

"Is something wrong?" Sirius asked.

"No, let us get out of here" Emily said quickly as she grabbed Sirius's arm and lead him away.

"I have not said my goodbyes" Sirius complained.

"They are otherwise occupied" Emily replied as she became redder.

Sirius met with Grant at the Grangers home.

"How did the meeting with the Count go?" Grant asked.

"It went well. We are getting access to his private library and he is going to introduce us to the Chinese Emperor" Sirius replied.

"That is great. I will send some of our researchers over tomorrow" Grant replied excitedly.

"I heard you hired Filch. How is that going?" Sirius asked curiously.

"He has been absolutely brilliant. We hired him as an interrogator on loan to the US government. Every prisoner he has interviewed has revealed more than they have done under truth serum. Prisoners are so scared of him that they start talking as soon as he enters the room."

"Is Filch torturing prisoners?"

"He has not tortured a single prison. What he does is bring in a bunch of old torture instruments with him to every interrogation. If he thinks a prisoner is lying then he starts describing how a particular instrument is used. So far he has not explained even half of his tools. I heard that the American Aurors are betting on how many prisoners it would take before he has to explain all his tools."

"It has to be a massive number since Filch has been building up his anger at witches and wizards for many years working at Hogwarts."

"That would explain why he is enjoying it so much. I thought he was insane for working those ridiculous hours and not claiming any overtime."

"Speaking of British ex-pats. Did you get Mr. Ollivander to go over to America?"

"He jumped at the chance to get away from Dumbledore. Now he keeps saying, he should have moved earlier."

"Why is he so happy with the move?"

"Mr. Ollivander has been kept busy with a massive demand for his wands. He has been so busy that he had to take on two apprentices to help him make new wands as he sold all his pre-prepared ones."

"If he is making new wands then where is he getting the materials from? Is there any sources in America?"

"There are quite a few sources in America including the farm at the Grangers Institution. But he does not need to go out by himself to collect them. Ollivander is paying the centaurs to do the legwork for them. They need the money for pre-natal as the centaurs are experiencing a population boom. The alliance with the Outcast organisation means their territories are safe and they are starting a new tribe near the Granger Institute."

"Is Ollivander paying the centaurs enough for medical expenses?"

"No. Mr. Ollivander is not paying them near enough to pay for their medical expenses. It is just a side business for them. The majority of the centaurs income comes from selling wild potion ingredients they gather. It is more potent then farmed ones and makes potions extra effective. Ashley is the main buyer as non-alliance potioneers need to pay a premium. This arrangement is killing our potion making competition."

"Can Ollivander afford to pay the centaurs?"

"If he kept the price the same then he would not be able to pay them but he has double the price of his wands."

"People are willing to pay that much for their wands?"

"You better believe it. His wands are still in great demand. In fact after he raised his prices, people were still going to the US ministry of Magic claiming they sat on their old wands so that they could replace them with his creations."

Harry and Hermione were shocked like everyone else to discover that Professor Lockhart was an assassin. He was involved in planning everything that occurred in the last few days. Most of their plans went off without a hitch but Lockhart revelations were totally unexpected. As the saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy. For so much of their plans to be successful, they knew they had outside help. Hermione and Emily had one speculated that magic might be the one helping them. The magical world was being destroyed by the purebloods for their own selfish desires. Dragons were being killed for their meat and potion ingredients, house elves were being worked to death without reproducing, centaurs were being hunted for sport, suicides amongst werewolves were so high due to the restrictions placed on them and the list goes on. Things needed change and that is what he and Hermione were trying to do. A lot of progress had been made in North and South America, Asia and the Pacific. Europe was resisting the change. While Africa and the Middle East were too unstable. These thoughts were interrupted when one of the aurors ordered everyone to the Great Hall.

"I wonder what is happening?" Harry asked.

"We will find out soon" Hermione replied.

The Great Hall was packed. All the professors and students were present along with aurors who guarded the doors. McGonagall was sitting in her usual seat to the right of the empty headmaster chair. The perplexed look on McGonagall's face told everyone that she had not called this meeting. Once Harry and Hermione were seated, the main door to the Great Hall opened. In walked two unfamiliar people who headed to the head table. 

Professor McGonagall asked. "Can I help you?" Neither of them responded. Once they were in front of the Headmaster's seat, one of them pulled out a scroll.

"Due to the professors inability to protect the students, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge has made the following educational decree. Mr. Albus Dumbledore and Madam Minerva McGonagall are fired from the positions of Headmaster and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. They will be replaced by Madam hopkirk and Mr. Hopkirk" McGonagall looked to be in shock while the students were gossiping like crazy.

"I am Malfafa Hopkirk, your new Headmistress. If you are wondering what qualifies me for the Headmistress position then you should know that I headed the misuse of magic department at Ministry for the last 5 years. Ably assisted by my new deputy Tony Hopkirk who will also teach DADA."

Omake

November 1981

Albus Dumbledore tried to look stern as Lord Dobbin walked towards but inside he was doing a happy dance. Lord Dobbin was the fifth member of the Wizengamot to approach him about their son, grandson, daughter, niece or nephew who were being held for being a death eater.

"Lord Dobbin, nice to see. Can I help you with something?"

"Let us cut to the chase. I need your help to get my grandson released,"

"I am officer of the courts. You are asking me to pervert the course of justice, I should get you arrested,"

"Stop playing around. We both know that would never stick. I would not even get a slap on the wrist. If you want to play that game then we can. A no-confidence motion against the Chief Warlock is not hard to arrange. Maybe I will have better luck with your successor" Lord Dobbin threatened.

"You would not dare. Besides you don't have the numbers."

"How many members of your factions know about your true nature? I am pretty sure that I can steal enough away to get you ousted."

"Okay. What exactly do you want?" Dumbledore said in defeat.

"I want my grandson immediately released and all charges against him dropped."

"That would not be possible. Too many aurors know that your grandson is a death eater. The rumour mill will destroy him."

"What would you suggest?"

"I get him released into my custody. At the trial, he claims to be under the imperius curse and it is all done without truth serum. If he can be convincing then your grandson would be exonerated." Dumbledore suggested.

"I can live with that."

"This is not free you know."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to join my faction."

"Never going to happen. How about my support on that werewolf rights legislations?"

"I do not care about such legislation and you know it. My personal voting record on such matters is always abstain. What I want is immunity from all prosecution."

"You will have to speak to the Minister for that since she is only one who can offer you a pardon."

"We both know that the Wizengamot can invalidate a pardon or a new Minister. I want an oath that you would never support any prosecution against me."

"Oaths are a serious matter and I do not trust enough to give you such a free pass. The most I can offer is a blood contract stating that I will never support your imprisonment."

"Alright but only if the contract is for your entire family and not just yourself. Since all you will have to do is step down and let your son vote in your stead."

"Agreed" Lord Dobbin said reluctantly. He felt like he just did a deal with the devil.

"Nice doing business with you, Lord Dobbin" Dumbledore replied cheerfully.

A little later Dumbledore was at the cell of Lord Dobbin's grandson. He quickly spelled the cell into privacy and secrecy wards.

"Do you want to get out?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course. How much is it going to cost me to get out?"

"How much money do you have?"

"I can probably get a hundred thousand galleons."

"Would you need help from someone to get that money?"

"I will have to ask my grandfather."

"That is no good. The more people who know the greater chance of being caught. Besides I do not want to get blackmailed by your grandfather. How much do you have in ready cash?"

"A little over Ten thousand galleons."

"Alright. This is what we do. For the ten thousand galleons, I will get you released. At trial, I would use my power as Chief Warlock to prevent them from using truth serum so that you can claim you were under the imperius curse."

"That sounds like a good plan. Are you going to let me go now?"

"First you swear an unbreakable oath to give me the ten thousand galleons for your release and promise to never tell anyone about this deal" Dumbledore replied. The oath was sworn and Dumbledore walked away with ten thousand galleons which he converted into swiss francs via the dwarves so it could not be traced.

A/N Sorry for the delay. For the reviewer who asked where is the basilisk. It is still in the chamber of secrets but separated from the school and goblins by an ever replenishing wall of waste from the Grangers mining operations. So the harder the goblins work to gain access to the snake, the less waste and toxic materials that the Granger would have to get rid of

Thank you for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	62. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

A recently released Mrs. Figg waited outside the new Headmistress office. Dumbledore had personally manipulated the muggle authorities into dropping all charges against her so that she could replace Filch and act as another pair of ears at the school. It was a risk free act on Dumbledore's part as the Wizengamot would never allow him to go to jail for something they consider as a minor breach of the law and his reputation was currently so bad that he believed that it could not get any lower. Mrs. Figg was now indebted to Dumbledore and thus more loyal.

"Come in", called Ms. Hopkirk the new headmistress of Hogwarts.

"Hello, I am Mrs Figg, your new caretaker", Mrs. Figg slightly anxiously.

"I did not hire you. You must be mistaken", Ms. Hopkirk replied.

"Professor McGonagall hired me when she was interim Headmistress. We had completed all paperwork before you arrived" Mrs. Figg replied warily.

"We will see about that. Stay here and do not touch anything." The headmistress ordered before heading to Professor McGonagall's new office.

"Why did you not tell me, you hired someone?" Ms. Hopkirk demanded.

"You were not around at the time and her employment paperwork was included in the stack I gave you", McGonagall replied calmly.

"I don't want her. You can get rid of her" Ms. Hopkirk said annoyed.

"I can, but it would cost the school a lot of money in penalty fees" McGonagall said straight-faced.

"How could you sign such a contract?" the headmistress said in disbelief, she had thought that McGonagall had a decent head on her shoulders.

"Professor Dumbledore started the process. If I did not sign then the school was going to have to pay a hefty penalty fee" McGonagall said.

"So we are stuck with her?" Hopkirk asked with disquiet.

"Yes", McGonagall said with finality.

"What are you doing?" the headmistress asked as noticed McGonagall was packing a bag full of books.

"I was just returning some books to Albus", McGonagall said innocuously.

"His belongings were packed by the house elves and then return to him. Why are you sending him extra books?" Hopkirk said suspiciously.

"I was just sending him some reading materials", McGonagall replied.

"I hope those books are from your personal library because if you are sending any of the school's books I would regard that as stealing", Hopkirk said with sly smile.

"I resent the accusation. I would never steal from the school. Besides Headmaster Dumbledore was a respected member of staff for over 50 years. He has earned the right to borrow some reading materials from the school", McGonagall said with resentment.

"You might believe that but I do not. If he borrowed any books from the school already then I want them returned immediately. For your assistance in Dumbledore's illegal use of Hogwarts property, I am banning you from the school's restricted library section and you are no longer allowed to give out library passes", Hopkirk said finality.

"This is outrageous. I will be contacting the school board about it" McGonagall replied with indignation.

"Go ahead. The ministry would love an excuse to fire the entire board", Hopkirk said with a smile.

"Is that a threat?" McGonagall asked with fury.

"No, just a piece of friendly advice." The new headmistress said as she left a fuming Professor McGonagall behind to inform the librarian of her decisions.

"Madam Pince, please ensure that Professor McGonagall is banned from the restricted section of the library. She can no longer authorize students from getting materials from that section as well", the headmistress said wanting to make sure to get her point across to Madam Pince.

"May I ask why you are taking such drastic action against a professor?"

"I have just discovered that she has illegally been giving the disgraced ex-headmaster Dumbledore school materials."

"You do know that Dumbledore has quite a few books outstanding." 

"How many books are we talking about?"

"Let me check the ledger." Madam Pince replied as she opened a massive book. As the librarian flipped through the book, Hopkirk noticed the number of times, the Weasley name appeared in the book.

"Why does the Weasley name appear so often in the book?" The headmaster asked.

"In the Weasleys fifth year, the previous headmaster would usually write out a blank pass for the restricted section. I don't know why but as long as they have a valid pass then I let them through."

"Well that is going to stop. The Weasleys are now forbidden from the library. Please give me a list of the books that they have outstanding. In fact why don't you perform an audit of the restricted section and tell me what books are missing?"

"That is going take me some time to compile those lists."

"Give me the list for Dumbledore and the Weasleys as soon as you can. The audit can be an ongoing program with a progress report every week or so."

"I will start right away. You will have the list for Dumbledore and the Weasleys, first thing tomorrow morning."

"Great."

After dinner the next day, all the Weasleys currently attending Hogwarts assembled at the Headmistress office.

"Enter."

"Mum, Dad, Bill, what are you doing here?" The children exclaimed.

"We don't know. The Headmistress owled us with an urgent meeting request so here we are."

"The reason why I gathered you all today is because this family has a massive list of books outstanding from the school's library. Some of these books are illegal to own like Potions Most Potente and A Complete Guide to Curse Breaking. The most worrying aspect of the situation is the fact that the books have been outstanding for years. I do not know what Dumbledore was thinking letting you graduate with these books still owing. This has got to be stopped. Until the late fees paid and the books returned, the Weasleys are banned from the library."

"You cannot do that!" Percy exclaimed.

"Why can I not?", the headmistress asked with a inquiring brow.

"How are we going to do our homework without access to the library?", Percy asked.

"Not my problem. You are lucky I didn't suspend all of you until all books have been returned. On second thought, if the books are not returned and all outstanding fines paid within two weeks, you will all be suspended", the headmistress said with annoyance.

"Can we work out a payment plan?" Arthur asked desperately.

"It depends, how much can you pay each week?", the headmistress asked.

"Ten galleons", Arthur replied while looking at the twins, who provided the family's only source of income.

"That will not do. Your children would have all graduated before you have repaid the balance of the fines due. That is assuming you return all books immediately. I would require a more substantial repayment scheme if you want any more of your children to graduate", the headmistress intoned with a sense of finality.

"That is all we can afford at the moment. Our eldest son and myself were just let go from our ministry jobs due to the Chamber of Secrets incident. Once we find new jobs then we can pay you more", Arthur pleaded.

"So you have no jobs and no prospects" Ms. Hopkirk summarized.

"We have started a new business together while we look for work", Arthur said naively.

"Everyone knows that most new businesses fail. I will not take the risk that you will not repay the fines so the ban stands. If you are willing to give us some sort of certainty for payment then I would consider lifting the ban", Ms. Hopkirk said reasonably.

"What if we provided you with some manual labour in addition to the weekly payments?" Fred suggested.

"What skills do you have?", the headmistress asked.

"Mum is great in the kitchen", Bill quickly suggested as he would no longer have to eat her food.

"My son, Bill was a curse breaker in training", Arthur added.

"Mrs. Weasley can work in the kitchens on a trial basis and Bill can work on bringing down the ward surrounding the forbidden forest."

"I dropped out of training so I do not know how much help I can be", Bill replied.

"You can always try. Come back tomorrow to start work. The ban on the restricted section still applies but your children can use the general areas of the library."

The twins remained behind as everyone left.

"Can I help you with something?" The headmistress finally asked, after seeing that they were determined to stay behind.

"You do know that both of us are on scholarship?", the twins asked.

"So is every member of your family. Do you think that your father could afford to send all of his children to Hogwarts on his own?" The headmistress laughed at their gullibility. This concerned the twins as they might have accidentally committed fraud. They needed to speak to their father immediately to sort it out.

"By the way, who provided you with the scholarships?" The headmistress asked to determine the strength of their backing. She knew that some scholarships was all about smoothing the way for certain students.

"Sirius Black", George replied absent mindedly. This shocked the headmistress as he could cause problems for her.

"Is your family close to Mr Black?", the headmistress asked quietly.

"No, Only the two of us through his godson, Harry Potter", Fred replied. He knew that if Harry discovered that they had used his godfather's name to help Ron or Percy, he would be furious.

"I am going to lift the library ban for the two of you for now." The headmistress replied as she did not want to cause trouble for her cousin, the current Minister of Magic.

"Thank you Madam." They both said at the same time.

Harry and Hermione walked into Gringotts for the Malfoy Family will reading with Sirius. They had not been mentioned in the will but Sirius had requested their presence which the new Headmistress was more than willing to accommodate. Pansy whose future was hanging by the terms of the will, was already there with her parents. Sirius was quickly lead away by Pansy's parents in order to get to their potential son-in-law.

"Come to witness your doom and my elevation," Pansy asked haughtily.

"I still say that Sirius will send you away before listening to you. A nunnery in Siberia is beautiful this time of the year. The endless amount of snow and the freezing winds will occur for your indefinite duration", Harry said with a sly smile.

"As if he would do that, My parents would never let happen. There are certain drugs that are perfectly legal which will ensure he would listen to my every word", Pansy said a little nervously.

"That is if you can get the potion ingredients. I heard that the cost of potion ingredients have skyrocketed recently", Harry said in an indifferent tone.

"I am sure that my family can afford unlike yours", Pansy replied confidently.

"You would be surprised with what we could afford", Harry said under his breath as the goblin in charge of the reading entered.

"Thank you for coming. You are all here to hear the last will and testament of the late Lucius Malfoy. Let the reading begin."

"This will was written a month before his death. I, Lucius Abraxus Malfoy, of sound mind and body request that my estate be distributed in the following manner.

"60 thousand galleons to my good friend Severus Snape."

The will went on and on listing distributions. It ended with.

"The remainder of my estate and custody of my son, I wish to pass to my wife's cousin, Sirius Black. This ends the reading. Before we do distribute what is listed in the will I would like to inform everyone that the estate would not be able to fulfill a single item of the will. The estate has only 5 thousand galleons, a marriage contract and a wizenagmot vote which will all be passed onto Minister Fudge", the goblin in charge of the malfoy accounts announced.

"What about the house and the mountains of gold?" Minister Fudge exclaimed as he realized that the massive Malfoy fortune was not going to him.

"Returned to the Black Family for breach of contract", the goblin replied in a bored tone.

"I wish to dispute that", Minister Fudge demanded.

"You cannot do that. Your claim is only through the marriage contract with Mr. Black which precludes you from such action", the goblin replied.

"I am going to marry him!" Pansy screamed in disgust when she finally realized what was happening. She looked with undisguised horror at her future husband. He was over twenty years older than her with a fat belly. The looks he was sending her was sending shivers down her spine.

"Just think, you will be marrying the most powerful man in Britain Politics", Pansy's dad said in an attempt to console his daughter which failed miserably.

"You will have four years to get use to the idea before you have to go through with the marriage", Pansy's mum said to try to comfort her. This seemed to work.

"I hope you like your future husband. Do you want me to send you some cupcakes? Maybe if you are as fat and ugly as him then he would not want to touch you", Hermione whispered to Pansy which set her off again.

"Knock it off, Hermione. Stop being mean", Harry said trying not to laugh.

"She has been on my case about her future marriage to Sirius ever since the Malfoy debacle, I deserve a little payback", Hermione whined.

"Okay but you are overdoing it at the moment", Harry said with a straight face.

"Alright", Hermione replied unhappily.

"Now that the cat is out of the bag and we don't have classes today. Why don't we check out the Malfoy Mansion?" Harry suggested to joy of Hermione. Hermione's joy could be the result of the jealous looks Pansy was giving them.

"That sounds great. The house is supposedly like a palace and with more rooms than Hogwarts", Hermione replied slyly to rub it in Pansy's face.

"Let us go and find Sirius so that we can get out of here?" Harry suggested before Hermione or Pansy could get into it again. A fight in public was not something they needed.

They found Sirius arguing with Fudge. Their interruption was a relief to Sirius but left a very unhappy Fudge. Fudge was immediately approached by one of the people named in the will regarding their entitlements.

"Thanks for the save. The Minister was not happy that he was not getting as much as he thought was. If you had not interrupted, I believe he might have continued forever or until I gave in", Sirius replied smile.

Harry, Hermione and Sirius were dumped by their goblin made portkey in the Foyer of the Malfoy Mansion.

"Is everyone alright?" Sirius asked as he brushed himself off.

"Yeah", Harry replied as he helped Hermione.

"Yes", Hermione replied with no conviction.

"What is the matter, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I am just getting flashbacks to when I was a prisoner here. I will be alright in a minute" Hermione replied anxiously.

"Do you want to go to the Le Strange Mansion instead?" Sirius suggested. "I can sort out this place on my own."

"No, I need to do this." Hermione replied with determination.

"You can pee or take a dump on either Lucius or Draco's beds. I know that would make me feel better", Sirius offered.

"Maybe later." Hermione replied with a shaky smile as she appreciated Sirius attempt to cheer her up.

"We should get the houseelves to show us around. How many houseelves do they have?" Harry asked.

"Two, Missy who was Narcissa's personal elf and Moppy who was the new elf working for Lucius", Sirius replied after consulting his paperwork.

"I thought they would have more", Harry said with disappointment.

"They do not last long as the Malfoys use to treat their house elves badly according to my sources", Sirius replied. 

"Moppy was she the house elf that Lucius brought from a mysterious source?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I remember mentioning that to you. But when I went through Malfoy's transactions according to Gringotts there was nothing suspicious. In all likelihood Malfoy did all those transactions in cash so there would be no paper trail", Sirius replied.

"Why don't we ask her where she came from?" Harry suggested.

"Missy, Moppy", Sirius called out. Two house elves appeared. One visibly upset while the other tried to provide some comfort which was very successful.

"What is wrong with her?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Moppy has been crying for days." Missy replied. "Moppy says she failed to protect young master."

Missy's statement made Harry and Hermione feel a little guilty. They were responsible for a house elf drowning herself in guilt.

Hermione crouched down so that she could look at Moppy on eye level.

"It was not your fault. These things happen", Hermione said with as much sincerity as she could manage.

"I tried to return the evil black book to master but master told me to put it back", Moppy sobbed.

"It's alright", Hermione said as she pulled Moppy into a hug.

"I tried to prevent it from going to the big house with lots of children but the stupid girl and her brother flew in a car anyway", Moppy sobbed. "I tried to hide all the stupid girl's stuff but she still would not leave."

"You did all you could", Hermione assured Moppy.

"I tried a lot of other things but I should have kept up spraying the evil black book with that skunk scent."

"We did not hear about that." Harry whispered. While Sirius was on the floor laughing at the thought of Ginny writing in the diary while holding her breath with her eyes watering due to the stench.

"Shhhh", Hermione said to Harry before turning back to Moppy. "Why did you stop?"

"After the stupid girl went on a rampage for some unknown reason. After the rampage everyone put extra security on their trunks including the stupid girl so I could no longer get to the evil black book."

"Voldemort must have temporarily taken over Ginny in order to try to recover the real diary", Harry whispered to Sirius.

"You are not helping. Why don't you two explore the house while I comfort Moppy here?" Hermione suggested in quiet annoyance with eyes flashing.

"We will see you later", Harry said hurriedly as he starts dragging Sirius away.

After racing around the halls on balls and rugs, peeing on beds and into shampoo bottles and generally making a mess. Harry and Sirius went back to check on Hermione. They found Moppy asleep in the arms of Hermione. Harry put a silencing charm on Moppy so that they could talk without disturbing her.

"So how is she doing?" Sirius asked.

"Moppy has a lot of built up guilt which she had to release. I had to listen as she told me every perceived mistake she had ever made", Hermione said sadly.

"Did you find out where she came from?" Harry asked curiously.

"I had to remove some memory charms before she could tell me. Apparently she was born at Hogwarts to two of the school's elves. It is well known amongst the school's house elves that Dumbledore has been making money on the side selling their offsprings to proper pureblood families", Hermione said with disgust.

"It is really sad", Hermione continued. "The school's house elves are being forced to have children so that they could be sold. Once the children are born, the parents never see them again. The parents are forbidden from interacting with their children and the area where the children are raised and trained is separated from the rest of the school. Training involves regular torture and brain washing so they become totally obedient slaves. Children who fail the training are killed and the ones who pass are sold off to proper pureblood families. We need it to stop", Hermione said desperately with tears in her eyes.

"So how can we help them?" Harry asked the emotional Hermione.

"We need to free them. Then bind them so they do not die", Hermione pleaded.

"No single person can bind that many house elves at the same time. That means they are being bound to the school via the warding heart stone. All we need to do is adjust the setup of the stone to release them", Sirius added quietly.

"The Heart stone should not be too hard to find as the information is probably in one of the books we stole from Dumbledore", Hermione replied half lost in thought.

"I will talk to Dobby about preparing the school's house elves for the escape", Harry said with determination.

"Let us head back so that we can begin researching immediately", Hermione suggested.

"I recommend that we plan out everything before we take action. We cannot just release them and hope for the best. Things can spiral out of control very quickly. Harry can focus on finding the stone, Hermione, you can focus on what we need to do to release the house elves including the possibility of stealing the heart stone while I will get our people to either create a new warding heart stone at the Institute or generate a list of potential new owners", Sirius recommended.

"That sounds like a solid plan", Harry replied. Hermione looked unhappy as she wanted to release the house elves as soon as possible, but acceded to the need to have a fool proof plan.

"Let us aim for the end of the school term. That way you two will not become hostages if discovered and the likelihood of discovery would also be minimal", Sirius suggested. Harry immediately nodded while Hermione nodded with a little reluctance. She could see the logic of the plan but was unhappy with how long it will take.

"Can I go now?" Hermione asked.

"I was hoping we could check out the LeStrange Estate as well?" Sirius said.

"Perhaps, we can do it some other time", Hermione asked.

"I really want to play darts with the LeStrange Wedding photos", Sirius replied with a smirk.

"You can do that on your own anytime", Hermione said immediately.

"It is better in pairs. Besides I have created a great points system. Ten points if you hit a death eater, twenty points if you hit an order of the phoenix member, fifty points if you hit one of the LeStranges, a hundred points if you hit Fudge or Umbridge and a hundred and fifty points if you hit one of the Malfoys."

"Speaking of the LeStranges, have you been able to provide treatment to the Longbottoms?" Harry asked.

"No. Augusta is stonewalling us. I think she might be deliberating aiding Dumbledore. From what we have been told from our sources, she has refused every type of treatment the healers have suggested", Sirius said a little bewilderedly.

"Can we sneak in and provide the necessary treatment?" Hermione asked.

"No. She has warded the beds so that no one can enter without her say so. They are blood wards so it is impossible to take down", Sirius replied.

"I guess we just have to wait then", Harry replied.

Meanwhile, In a well hidden muggle house, Albus and his brother were reading books about Dementors. Suddenly an owl flew in and both brothers noticed at the same time. The boredom of researching dementors in order to control them was getting to both brothers. Aberforth made a grab for the attached letter only for Albus to notice and push him out of the way.

"That is my letter!" Albus exclaimed.

His brother did not listen and made another attempt at the letter. It soon became a wrestling match which Aberforth easily won due to his experience in running a pub. Albus was on the ground with his face pressed to the floor. His arm was being pulled to a painful angle by his brother who was kneeing him in the back.

"I surrender! Read that stupid letter if you want so desperately", Albus cried out in pain.

"I do not need you tell me I have won", Aberforth replied as he retrieved the letter. It was a massive scroll that hit Albus on the head when Aberforth started reading it.

"OUCH! That hurts. Watch what you are doing", Albus exclaimed.

"Shut up", Aberforth replied as he started reading the letter. After he was done, Aberforth fainted. Albus took the opportunity to free himself. He was trying to decide whether to get his brother back or read the letter. Curiosity got the better of him and he grabbed the scroll and started reading. It was not long before he too fainted. A few moments after Albus fainted, Aberforth woke. Seeing his brother unconscious as well, Aberforth shaved Albus head and beard leaving him with a handle bar moustache. Once he was done, Aberforth woke his brother up by spraying him with cold water. Albus launched himself at Aberforth but backed down when he was threatened with another drenching.

"How many of the books on the list can you return?" Aberforth asked.

"None", Albus replied honestly.

"Where did they all go?"

"Most of them were lost in fires."

"I told you should not have tried to bind that fire phoenix."

"Some of the books were lost that way but the majority of the books were lost in another fire."

"You are going to have a massive library fine. Even if you win your case and get back your vaults this would wipe you out", Aberforth replied with a shake of his head.

"I guess it is no use fighting the case anymore", Albus said with disappointment.

"These books are they on the list?" Aberforth asked. Albus quickly checked and replied on the negative.

"They must be on Minerva's account. If the new headmistress is taking such a hard line on books then we better return them before Minerva gets in trouble", Albus replied pathetically.

"What are we going to do about the dementor? We cannot just leave it in the basement."

"I guess that we try to train it in the muggle way", Aberforth replied.

"The muggles are idiots", Albus replied with distaste. He did not need to put up a front for his brother.

"What other option do we have?"

"I guess, your right."

A few days later, Aberforth was hiding in some brushes to the right of Albus. He was there in case something went wrong. Opposite Aberforth was a tied up homeless man and in front of Albus was the dementor locked in the house. Albus unlocked the door from a few meters away. The dementor opened the door and flew out. Albus yelled "SIT!" (as though the dementor was a dog) but the dementor ignored him. Instead the dementor flew towards Aberforth to the surprise of the Dumbledores expecting the dementor to head to the homeless guy.

"No. Bad dementor!" Albus yelled with no effect.

It had almost given Aberforth the kiss before Albus recovered and pushed the dementor back indoors.

"That did not work", Albus said.

"No shit Sherlock", Aberforth replied sarcastically. Albus was regretting letting his brother watch US tv muggle dramas.


	63. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

**Warning mention of dental torture.**

Headmistress Hopkirk approached Harry and Hermione as they head to breakfast. 

"Good Morning Mr. Potter, Miss Granger."

"Good Morning Madam." They replied.

"Your family has requested both of your presence regarding a family matter." The headmistress informed them. "If you wish to follow me to my office so that you can floo home".

"Can we have breakfast first? I'm hungry". Harry asked as he knew that Molly was going crash and burn as the Hogwarts cook this morning.

"I am sure your parents would not mind waiting. They said it was not an emergency but something that had to be done today. Besides you do not want to miss out on breakfast this morning. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Dumbledore and Mr. Diggory always rave about Mrs. Weasley's cooking. Today we can try some for ourselves".

"I am sure my parents would not mind waiting", Hermione confirmed.

"Then, let us go before all the food is taken", The headmistress suggested.

The Great Hall was filled with students eagerly waiting for a fantastic feast. At the clock struck for the hour food appeared at all the tables simultaneously. Everyone made a rush for the food as they remembered the praises that Cedric and the other people who had sampled Mrs Weasley's cooking before her accident went on and on about how good she was. The anticipation turned to disgust after people's first bite. Harry and Hermione were some of the few people who had not taken any food. Fred and George was enjoying the various reactions people had to the food. Especially the teachers who had to retain their decorum in order to retain the respect of the students. Things turned ugly for the twins when their Quidditch teammates started attacking them due to their lack of warning. Students soon started stealthily returning food to the communal plates. The only people still eating were Ron from Gryffindor and Crabbe and Goyle from Slytherin. It soon became an eating contest between the three of them to see who could eat the most. Ron won after taking multiple dumps (i.e. shits) to lighten his load before continuing his eating.

The Headmistress stormed down to the kitchens after, just one bite.

"How do you like my cooking?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her face filled full of hope.

"Are you trying to kill us woman?" the Headmistress screamed. "That was the foulest thing I have ever tasted. Burnt Kale omelette with Tasco sauce is not food in anyone's language. I don't know what the other stuff was but I was not brave enough to try, you are fired! Get out the kitchen so that the elves can prepare proper food."

"I toil for hours to prepare that meal and this is the thanks I get. You wouldn't know good food if it hit you in the face" Mrs. Weasley said angrily as she flung her apron on the floor.

"You just do not want to admit the truth, which is of course, that you can not cook!" Hopkirk countered.

"You take that back!" Mrs Weasley screamed like a banshee before launching herself at the Headmistress tackling her to the ground. Hopkirk retaliated by pulling Molly's hair and slapping her.

"You evil bitch!" Molly screamed before scratching the Headmistress's face with her nails. The Headmistress responded by hitting Mrs Weasley with a nearby hot pan.

"Ouch! That hurt, You slag!" Molly cussed.

"Mum stop!" Tony, the deputy headmaster ordered. "Both of you stop this instant."

Like schoolgirls caught out of bounds, they both stopped before standing up and looking guiltily at the ground.

"You are both suppose to be adults. Yet you behave like children. Go to the the infirmary. NOW!" Tony commanded.

"Son, I can explain."

"OUT!" Tony yelled.

"Do I still have a job?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"No. You are out of here as soon as you are treated. Never to return here ever again. If their is a problem then we will deal with your husband. Is that understood?" Tony replied as he marched them to the infirmary. Molly nodded sadly in confirmation. Along the way, they came across Percy.

"What happened mum?", Percy asked as saw his mother with scratches and bruises .

"None of your business, Mister", Tony said forcefully.

"If it concerns my mother, it is my business."

"You can ask her later", Tony said before noticing the Prefect's badge.

"By the way, you are no longer a Gryffindor Prefect", Tony said as he snatched the badge off Percy's collar. Percy and Molly both began to protest but Tony silenced them both with a glare.

"We should have remove you before but it was an oversight which I am correcting right now", Tony explained. A depressed Percy sat down heavily as he knew there was no use in protesting.

After leaving the infirmary, the headmistress returned to her office where she found Harry and Hermione waiting for her.

"Here to access the floo?" the Headmistress asked.

"Yes", Harry replied. They then quickly flooed home.

"Mr. Potter and Ms. Potter?" a strange woman asked as they exited the floo.

"Yes", Hermione replied uncertainly.

"Or I meant say Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. By the way, I am Emily Prentiss and the advance placement officer at the Granger Institute. Your parents informed me that your both advanced for your age. How far ahead do you think you are?" Miss Prentiss explained and asked.

"We believed we could take our OWLs and NEWTs right now and pass" Hermione replied a little bashfully.

"Do you mind if I test you now?" Miss Prentiss asked.

"Sure", Harry replied uncertainly.

"Who wants to go first?" Miss Prentiss asked. Harry pushed hermione forward.

"She can go. If I go first then you would be worrying yourself sick about not being prepared", Harry said to Hermione.

"Alright then, shall we begin?" Miss Prentiss asked. Hermione gave Harry the evil eye before agreeing. They went into another room where Hermione got quizzed and was asked to perform a number of demonstrations. Harry was then put through the same tests.

"You are both ready for your OWLs and NEWTs in all the core magical subjects except history. But that is to be expected since Hogwarts focuses solely on goblin rebellions rather than a small part of it, as magical history. I will be recommending you both sit for your OWLs and NEWTs in August in all the core magical subjects except for History".

"Can we sit for history as well?" Hermione pleaded.

"But you are not familiar with that subject matter."

"If you can recommend a few texts then I am sure we can be ready in time".

"Alright. This is a list of books you should familiarise yourself with", Miss Prentiss suggested as she started writing down a list.

"Thank you, Miss Prentiss", Hermione said.

"Just try your best and don't make me look bad" She joked. " I will talk to you again once we have all your results" Miss Prentiss said as she got up to leave. Harry and hermione decided to check on Hermione's parents wile they were their before heading back to school. They found them and Sirius decked out in Basilisk armour preparing to leave.

"What is the occassion?" harry asked.

"We are going to meet the goblins in order establish an alliance with them" Dan replied.

"Where is the meeting?"

"At Wembley stadium since its has the necessary capacity and the owners were willing to let us use the grounds after we agreed to pay for fumigation. The police are securing the grounds claiming a training exercise so no one in the public will see what is happening."

"Do you need us to come too?" Hermione offered.

"I rather you did not since it is going to be dangerous as the opponents of the alliance are likely to attack which is why we are dressed like this. Besides Grant is waiting for us in the car to help advise us."

"It is not a car!" Sirius exclaimed "It is a hovercraft as it has no wheels." 

"Well it looks like a car to me" Dan repiled. 

"The wheels are an illusion. It is practically a box on a flying carpet with two broomsticks for speed."

"Whatever it is, Grant is waiting for us in it with most of our security forces."

"Are you sure it is safe?" Hermione asked with concern.

"These suits are incredibly tough. It is not just made out of Basilisk skin but is reinforced with runes before reinforced by the unique magic of all our existing allies. The Veelas dipped it in a solution they developed which makes it immune to fire, the centaurs added a varnish to make it tough enough to take direct hits from armour piercing bullets without any damage and the leprechaun and dwarfs have added mobile wards to redirect weapons. That is just the stuff I remember. I am sure other measures were added but I don't remember what they are at this very minute", Emma replied thoughtfully.

"Goblin weapons are especially deadly. Are you sure the armour can handle it?" harry asked in concern.

"Yes. We saw it take a hundred directs from a hundred goblin blades without making a dent. The car we are going in is even tougher. It could take two direct hits from missiles at the same time without the driver noticing. This is due to it having the same materials on the outside as these suits while interlocking tiles of basilisk teeth is used to make an extremely tough inner skin. While the skin is supported by a lattice of pure diamonds which makes it practically indestructible", Dan replied confidently.

"Have you ensure the people going with you are loyal?", hermione asked while biting her lip.

"Yes, darling. They all gave an oath before we armed them. Then another before they entered the car", Emma said softly.

"Do you mind if we wait for you here?" A worried Hermione suggested.

"It might be better if you wait for us at our office. Since we are taking our prisoners there", Dan suggested.

"We will be there and good luck all of you. I love you" Hermione said a little tearfully. They replied in turn and left while Harry supported her as they watched them leave. Hermione quickly made her way to her parents dental surgery where she waited anxiously for them to arrive back from their encounter.

Quiet a while later just after dusk, a strange car drove into the office's garage. Emma Granger was first to get out but she was quickly followed by the others. Hermione raced out the door and was about to hug her mother when the King of the Goblins exited the car. This stopped Hermione in her tracks as she knew that showing emotions to a goblin was a sign of weakness which would be exploited. Seeing the Goblin King and his advisors speaking with Emma and Dan, Hermione headed towards Sirius. When the goblins entered the office, Hermione spoke with Sirius.

"Have you reached an agreement with the goblins yet?" After deciding that asking about injuries directly might not be a good idea if more goblins appeared.

"We have not even started negotiating. As we expected quiet a few goblins were opposed to our alliance. They attacked as soon as we entered the stadium. We responded with a hail of tranquilliser darts to take down the leaders before opening up with bullets. They were extremely surprised when our basilisk bullets penetrated their armour as if it was not there", Grant started to explain.

"This idiot, pointing at Sirius, wanted to pitch in by using his wand when I warned him that he should not do it. As quiet a few goblins are sensitive to the fact they are not allowed to use wands. Artists, crafters and engineers are the ones who hate being reminded of this ban as it effects them in their every day lives. If you had used your wand, more goblins would have entered the flay then we would be in trouble especially if the engineers joined in. Thankfully I was able to stop this dimwit so none of our people got hurt. Definitely, cannot say the same for the other side", Grant added as goblins in chains started being brought into the office.

"So all our people are safe?", Hermione asked quietly.

"Yes, not a scratch on us", Grant replied to the relief of Hermione. "Your father was one of the first ones to fire his gun. After he tagged the opposing leader with a tranquilliser dart, he came back to the safety of the car so he did not have to witness the carnage first hand. This idiot" again pointing at Sirius who was looking at them sheepishly, "was not as smart, he stood out in the open watching the on-slaught and risking everyone in the process as their attention was divided between protecting him and killing off the goblins" Grant ended while rolling his eyes.

"Yes mother I was wrong" Sirius said while rolling his eyes. "Tonks already chewed me out for my actions. You do not have to do it again. Besides I did not want to miss the action. Watching as a goblin's head explode or the frustration of the goblins as their weapons had no impact on us was hilarious."

"Remember we will soon going to be allies with them. So do not repeat those comments again. It could hurt our relationship."

"I won't. The battle today resolved all my issues with their race."

"That is Griphook! He is the first goblin I ever met. What is doing here?" Harry exclaimed.

"He was one of the leaders opposed to our treaty. I guess he should be the first goblin we interrogate", Grant replied.

"Do you need me to brew some truth serum?"

"They are immune to the potion. We are probably going to have to use the good old fashion method of torture to get the information out of them," Grant replied as he headed in to make the suggestion.

"Who is going to do the torture?" Hermione asked.

"Your dad", Sirius replied.

"Are you sure he can handled it?"

"He volunteered as he has experience with difficult patients. Screaming people have no effect on him anymore which is why we doing this here. The neighbours are use to kids and some adults screaming as they are brought into surgery."

"We should head back to school", Harry suggested.

"I want to witness the interrogations", Hermione whined.

"I can tell your headmistress that you need to stay overnight", Sirius offered.

"Thanks Sirius, that would be great", Hermione replied quickly and entered the dental/interrogation room before Harry could object.

Griphook was strapped onto the dental chair. His mouth was pried open using clamps. Dan examined the goblin's mouth and grinned when he saw the lack of dental hygiene.

"Your teeth are in such bad shape that I am going to have to remove them all. If you answer all our questions truthfully without any omissions then I can be quick." Dan explained.

"I am not tell you a thing, you shit bag on two legs", Griphook said defiantly.

"We will see about that", Dan replied with a cruel smile. He removed one of the goblin's tooth using an instrument which is usually reserved for large animals. Griphook screamed so loudly it scared the be-jesus out of the other prisoners before starting to cry.

"Please stop", Griphook pleaded or something similar as his mouth still had the clamp in it and he was bleeding from the procedure. Dan poked a hot rod into the wound to seal it making Griphook scream even louder.

The goblin king and his advisors cringed. They soon started to look in awe at Dan as he performed the procedure. To get a goblin warrior to cry so easily was not an easy achievement.

"Remind me to never piss off your dad", Grant whispered to Hermione.

"If you think that is bad you are soon going learn that it is nothing. This what you going to get if you lie", Dan proceeded to perform a root carnal without any anaesthesia. This was too much Hermione as she fled out of the operating room. Harry followed to provide her support. Two hours later Griphook with a single white tooth remaining in his mouth was lead dragged out of the room. Hermione and Harry went back into the operating room.

The goblin king approached Dan and said.

"Good work, brother." 

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"You have earned the right to call me, Ragnok."

"Thank you, Ragnok. Please call me, Dan."

"I hope this is the beginning of a long and profitable partnership between us."

"Why don't you discuss the formal terms of our alliance with my second in charge, Grant? He has my absolute trust", Dan replied.

"I look forward to it", The Goblin King said before dragging Grant out the door. 

"Are you alright, Dad?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, It was not that bad. I have worse patients before. In fact he did not even make the top ten", replied a weary Dan. No one could tell whether he was joking or not.

"Did Griphook talk?" Hermione asked.

"Let us talk about tomorrow. It has been a long day." Dan suggested.

A tired Grant walked into the Grangers' home before slumping down at the breakfast table.

"Do you want anything?" Emma asked.

"A cup of coffee and some toast would hit the spot." Grant replied. The requested items appeared and Grant devoured eagerly. Once he had finished Grant spoke.

"We have a preliminary agreement with the Goblins. It is very general while we work out a proper agreement. But everyone wants a formal alliance as they are too scared of Dan to really fight it. If we become stuck, I might have to ask you to step in."

"Brilliant job, Grant. Just tell me when you need me and I will be there", Dan responded.

"Sirius has been put in charge of the charity after some fancy paperwork by the goblins", Grant said. 

"What charity?" Hermione asked.

"Yesterday, Griphook told us of how Dumbledore stole the Potters money and other muggleborn students**. **This was actually done without the King's and majority of the other senior globin's knowledge. Griphook could not accept the money directly without being forced to return it so he 'donated' all the money to a charity for scholarships to Hogwarts. No one was going to force a charity to return such funds as it would look bad in the media. As Dumbledore was in charge of the charity, he gave himself a big salary and used the funds to further his own political agenda. The Weasleys all went to Hogwarts as a result of the charity."

"The manipulative bastard!", Harry swore. 

"I agree", Hermione said to the surprise of everyone. She would usually tell him off for swearing.

"That is hardly worst thing he did. He would steal blood samples from muggle-born and half-bloods he was the magical guardian for and pass it to his goblin allies. They would use the blood to try to access inactive vaults.Since, muggle-borns are descended from squib relatives, who of course come from so called pure-bloods, any vaults which they could open would have it's contents transferred to the charity in its entirety after the goblins took their fees. The vault would be closed and all records of the transaction would be destroyed so that no one would know it had happen. Fake transfers from the gnomes would be used to hide the receipt of money in the charity records", Grant explained.

"So there are people out there who control seats on the Wizengamot and don't know it", Sirius exclaimed. He quickly realized that Dumbledore did this to protect the status quo. If muggle-borns had a greater say in the Wizengamot then change would be inevitable. By removing their voice, the wizengamot did not have to change.

"Yes". 

"Is there anyway to identify the people?" Harry asked. 

"No. The Ministry relies on Gringotts to establish control of families. Since all records at Gringotts are destroyed by Dumbledore's allies, the bank has no way of linking individuals to their ancestral roots."

"I thought you could do a blood test to find out who you are related to. Or look at something like the Black family tapestry" Sirius stated.

"I do not know. The goblins however do not have access that type of magic. Probably due to the ban on goblins owning wands. Speaking of the ban, Dumbledore gave his allies a loophole so they could use wands. Using his positions, Dumbledore declared Ireland no mans land claiming that since Ireland is not part of Britain, it is not party to the treaty", Grant replied. Hermione started thinking of ways to remedy the situation using their alliance with the Vampires and their knowledge of blood magic.

"What the fuck was he thinking?" Sirius exclaimed.

"He wanted a change of leadership amongst the goblins. So he formed an alliance with the goblin Hook clan. They helped with the theft's (which the clan would also benefit) and he helped them politically. Dumbledore as the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW allowed his allies to purchase Mithril which is an extremely restricted material as the goblins use it to make weapons. In fact, if we had agreed to an Irish location for the initial meeting, the Hook clan, would now be in charge and they would have put up a better fight against us as they would have been able to use their wands", Grant explained.

"How long has this conspiracy being going on?" Harry asked in disgust. He knew Dumbles was an ass, but never thought the barmy old man would ever do something like this. 

"About fifty years, ever since Dumbledore became Headmaster of Hogwarts and became magical guardian to all the muggleborn students and the half bloods who lacked a magical guardian", Grant explained.

"Did we take out all his allies at Gringotts?" Hermione asked.

"We killed or captured most of the Hook clan and their allies. There are only fifty members of the Hook clan left and they are being hunted by the other goblins right now."

"Do they have the resources to escape?" Hermione asked with concern. If these goblins were on the loose with money to burn and revenge on their minds, that could and most likely would spell trouble for all of them.

"No, we caught the clan leader and he spilled the locations of all their secret stashes and allies. Speaking of money, we are getting half of the Hook clan's wealth including weapons, since the potter wealth which was substantial was part of this mess. So we have now the largest collection of Mithril weapons outside of the goblins."

"Lend a few samples of the weapons the Granger Institute. Maybe they can find new uses for them", Hermione suggested.

"Enough questions. Let the poor man get some sleep", Emma said after noticing how tired Grant looked. Grant gratefully took the opportunity to leave.

"I wonder if a coup occurred in the original time?" Harry asked.

"It probably did. That would explain why another goblin uprising did not occur immediately right after the fall of the Dark Lord. They are opportunistic creatures who would take advantage of a wizarding community recovering from civil unrest", Hermione explained.

"I think I can use this to our advantage", Sirius said eagerly as he just worked out something. "By telling people that Dumbledore was arming the goblins for another rebellion, some of his european supporters, who are currently fence sitters after all the recent revelations, might decide to oppose him due to his threat to their way of life. If we provide the ICW with documents as proof then they might be convinced. As they say, the public are sheep if you tell two pieces of truth with every lie you make they swallow the whole thing."

"Are you going to inform the public about the thefts of vaults?" Harry asked.

"There is no point as we don't know which families/muggleborn were affected, other than you. All it would do is hurt our new allies, the goblins. People would ask why did they not stop it", Sirius responded.

"Speaking of funds, I suggest we take a page out of Dumbledore's play book and drain and close the charity before some official from the ministry finds out and gets their grubby hands on it", Emma recommended. 

"I agree completely, we can use the funds to reallocate and fund the education of the muggle-born students we taking out of this country to avoid the upcoming war. It would save us heaps of our own money and satisfy the likely charity criteria of educational expenses", Hermione added in support of her mum. 

"If their are any money left over, we could use it to build a new latin american school. The Granger Institute has been rejecting a mountain load of student applications as they lack the facilities and the teachers with the language skills to deal with such an influx. As more of the region settles down to peace due to the example set by Mexico, the number of applicants is going sky rocket. Besides we are planning to build a new car plant down there since our current plant is being overwhelmed by demand and that is only going get worse when we introduce our new non-magical car", Dan suggested. 

"We have been selling cars?" Hermione asked with surprise.

"Do you know that car we used yesterday. An unarmoured version is selling like hot cakes. It looks like a normal car on the outside but that is just an illusion. During traffic jams, it can fly above it all under invisibility charms and reach its destination. In emergencies it can elongate itself like the knight bus to escape", Dan explained.

"What about the new non-magical car?" Harry asked.

"Recently recruited some of the world's best minds like Stephen Hawkings to our non-magical university. After turning them into Vampires(with their permission of course) so they become immortal, we gave them some time turners and set them to work. Their first invention is a hydrogen car which uses water as its fuel or rather the hydrogen atoms in water. The engine they developed uses magical generated electricity (which keeps the engine production costs down) to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, then is combusted to fuel the car and make it function", Dan explained. Discussions turn to the other projects the think tank were working on.

That night, memories from the future flooded into the brain of Ronald Weasley and he woke up with a start.

Omake

Fawkes flamed next to Hedwig as she was hunting for her meal.

"I am taking over the companionship with the Potter boy", Fawkes stated arrogantly in bird language.

"Like hell you will" Hedwig screeches in protest. "I found him first. You find your own human."

"Show some respect, young lady. I have been around for thousands of seasons and have seen things you have not even dreamt of. You don't know what is happening and your boy will need my experience and wisdom soon."

"The same experience and wisdom which allowed you to be tripped up by a human many times your junior", Hedwig replied.

"That was not my fault. It was two against one. How would I know that the person who summoned was not alone and that his lover knew how to bind me?" Fawkes replied.

"You were just plain stupid." Hedwig counters.

"Do you want to fight? You will never win", Fawkes asks.

"Bring it on, pigeon brain", Hedwig says before launching her right talon at the phoenix resulting in three great scratch marks appearing. Fawkes counters with a beak strike which does little damage. The owl flies away. Thinking it has the upper hand, Fawkes follows. A cat and mouse pursuit ensues with Hedwig weaving in and out of the trees in the Forbidden Forrest followed closely by the pheonix. Hedwig suddenly stops above a small pool of water. Rather than fly directly at the owl, Fawkes flames to just above Hedwig. He grows his flames until in engulfs Hedwig. A burnt looking owl plummets into the water below.

Fawkes flies down to check on his opponent. Upon not finding anything, he believes that he has burnt to ashes the other bird.

"What a waste of a good bird", Fawkes thinks to himself before turning back towards the castle. Behind him an owl launching itself back up into the air with a helmet full of water. The noise makes Fawkes turn around. He spots the other bird but loses her when he gets blinded by the sun. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hedwig releases the water and the helmet on the pheonix. The water stops Fawkes from being able to flame away while the helmet knocks him unconscious.

The next thing Fawkes knows is that he is in the water with Hedwig on top of him. Her talons were digging into his shoulder.

"Do you admit, you lost?" Hedwig asks.

"Yes", Fawkes replies after being dunked into the water.

"Leave me and my boy alone", Hedwig warned as she dunks him in another time.

"Alright. I wil leave you and your boy alone." Fawkes concedes.

"You swear."

"I swear", Fawkes replies. He is taken to dry ground and released.

A/N Sorry for the delay. I got sick, had to deal with a backlog of work and then got addicted to galaxy empire. Thank you for your patience.


	64. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Ron's future self became dominant in his younger body as it is more mature (but not by much) than his younger self. His future self was sent back by senior ministry officials to correct the damage caused by Harry and Hermione's time travel or knowledge sent back to the past as it were. His long relationship with them meant he would know what they changed. The first thing, Ron was instructed to do was gather allies. Dumbledore was his best bet as he was well positioned to do damage control. He started his mission by yelling for Dumbledore in front of the gargoyle before using different passwords he knew Dumbledore liked to use. Ron was absolutely shocked when Headmistress Hopkirk came out answered instead.

"Who are you?", the shocked future Ron asked.

"I am Headmistress Hopkirk and you know that. What are doing waking me up in the middle of the night and yelling for the disgraced ex-headmaster?", the Headmistress replied angrily. She did not like being woken up in the middle of the night and especially by a member of the annoying weasley family. 

"Sorry Madam, I had a nightmare", Ron said uncertainly. 

"And you thought that was a big enough emergency to disturb the Headmistress", Hopkirk asked, with a her left eyebrow starting to twitch.

"No Madam. It won't happen again."

"Since you seem wide awake and have the urge to wake up people in the middle of the night I am going make you do something useful. Mrs Figg's cats litter trays need to be all changed. She has fifteen cats each with their own litter trays. I want every tray cleaned out, washed and refilled with kitty litter by morning. The Prefect patrols will be checking up on you periodically. If you do not do a good job then you will be cleaning up the owlry by hand" the headmistress informed Ron to his horror.

"I thought detentions usually involved writing lines or helping out teachers?" Ron asked as he believes the punishment is too extreme.

"Your family is a special case. You have all used up my quota of goodwill already. The fact that I let members of your family including yourself to remain here at school is generous enough", The headmistress replied as she led him to the litter trays. She then takes his wand.

"You don't need that, doing this by magic would be too easy. Performing some manual labour is good experience for you, what with your low grades and all, that might be the only type of work available to you. Besides you will sleep better if you tire yourself out, Mr. Weasley", The headmistress informs Ron spitefully.

Ron grumbled as he started working. The fact that Dumbledore was no longer the Hogwarts Headmaster was a big change from the previous timeline. He tried accessing the memories of his younger self. Only to discover to his shock, he now knew what happened this time round and none of the events in the original timeline during the first two years happened. His memories of the original timeline were slipping and only a vague outline of what originally occurred remained. This was probably due to the fact that, Ronald never bothered to pay much attention to anything, that wasn't stuffing this face or Qudditch. After-all, he knew his role as dictated by his mother and she always reminded him what he was supposed to do(i.e. make friends with Harry Potter). Why would a pure-blood like him have to be bothered by stupid things like details, that's what Hermione and other people were for after all. However, now even Ronald could tell something went wrong with the ritual they used to send his memories back. This was probably because Hermione and Harry burned what remained of the procedure after all. Deciding that he needed to record as much of what he still remembered before he forget's the original timeline completely, Ron ran back to his dorm only to be stopped by a pair of Prefect's during patrol.

"Are you finished changing the litter trays?" Oliver, the replacement Gryffindor Prefect for Percy asked. 

"No", Ron admitted "I just realized I haven't done my Potions homework. That was what caused my sleeplessness."

"You can do your homework once you finish changing all the kitty litter." Oliver stated as he still not happy with Ron as he had cost him any chance of winning the Quidditch Cup due to how badly he performed as the team seeker. 

"Can I at least get a quill and some parchment so that I can jot down some ideas for my homework?" 

"No you may not. If we allowed you to get some paper then chances are you will do your homework instead of your detention", Penny, the other prefect on the patrol, stated.

"I agree, I think that we should watch you clean out those litter trays to ensure you do not run off as soon as our backs are turned", Oliver agreed. 

"That sounds like a great idea", Penny exclaimed with a sly grin.

The prefect's on patrol for the rest of the night spent their time watching Ron struggle to clean all the litter trays, while switching off to actually finish their duties. As soon as he finished cleaning one tray then one of the previous trays he had finished cleaning would become dirty again. What Ron did not know was that the Prefects would occasionally dirty a tray to prolong Ron's suffering. So when the headmistress came to inspect his progress, Ron had still not finished.

"Are you done?" The headmistress demanded.

"Not quite", Ron replied slightly nervous.

"That's not good enough. Tonight after dinner report to the Owlry where caretaker Mrs. Figg will show you what you have to do, now go wash up", The headmistress ordered. Ron fled before the Headmistress could add to his punishment and subtract massive amounts of house points.

"What happened to you?" Fred asked as the stench of smelly kitty litter covered Ron and stunk the common room when he entered.

"You smell like cat's piss" George added with his fingers covering the top of his nostrils to get some relief from the smell. 

"Are you having an affair with Mrs. Figg which you are not telling us about?" 

"Does she make you dress like a cat and roll in kitty litter?"

"I know, Mrs. Figg dresses up as a cat in a bed filled with kitty litter. And you are the alpha male cat who mounts her which makes all her cats jealous which is why they piss on you", Fred suggested with a laugh which makes Ron cringed at the horrible mental image.

"Good one, Fred", George says in congratulations. 

"It is nothing like that. The headmistress caught me out of bed after curfew and gave me detention cleaning out cats litter trays", Ron explained. The twins' eyes light up at that bit of information.

"Why were you out after curfew?" George asked. 

"None of your damn business!" Ron snapped annoyed. He did not want to reveal the truth in front of everyone, especially since the majority of the house was now present. They would either think he is crazy or a joke(which they already do). If the fact that he was from the future got back to Harry and Hermione then it would spell trouble for him. So he pushes pass his brothers and heads to his room.

After a shower and a change, Ron records what he remembers from the future before he forgets everything, which was happening sooner rather than later. This makes him unusually late for breakfast to the relief of his housemates. Having to watch someone eat with no table manners was very off putting. By the time, Ron arrived down for breakfast, his house mates had mostly finished. So a lot of them missed seeing, a thin version of the garfield cat start humping Professor McGonagall's right leg. It was soon followed by a black scottish fold (another breed of cat) which start humping her other leg.

"Get off me, you perverted animals!" Professor McGonagall screamed once she noticed what was happening to her legs. She starts shaking her legs to get the cats off. The cats however dig in their claws and Professor McGonagall yowls in pain.

"Mr. Whiskers and Mr. Tibbles stop that at once." Mrs Figg says as she recognises the cats as her. She tries to pull the orange cat off the Professor but he does not let go. Finally, Mrs Figg is successful in removing the cat, wrecking Professor McGonagall's skirt (and leg) in the process. For the first time in Hogwarts history students could see Professor McGonagall's legs, which by her Victorian ideals, was cause for horror. Professor Flitwick took pity on his colleague and stuns the other cat so that it could be removed easily. The deputy headmaster removes the black cat before leading Professor McGonagall away to the infirmary.

Along the way, other cats start tailing them. Once they reach the infirmary, Healer Chapman quickly heals the injuries that Professor McGonagall sustained and starts discussing the strange behaviour of the cats.

"It is spring so it could be mating season", Flitwick suggested.

"Cats mate all year round", Mrs. Figg added.

"Maybe we should have them neutered, it would probably lead them to be less aggressive", Tony the deputy Headmaster suggested.

"It would be a crime to end the line of my cats. They have excellent pedigree dating back hundreds of years", Mrs. Figg said in outrage.

Now that Professor McGonagall is stationary again, the cats begin to sniff the professor before rubbing themselves against her. When one of the male cats tries to hump McGonagall's leg, he is attacked by another cat. It soon becomes a free for all amongst the cats with Professor McGonagall getting badly scratched in the process. The discussion is postponed as all the professors' work to stop the fighting. Cages are conjured to separate the various animals. 

"Did you ever have an affair with Dumbledore?" Healer Chapman asked.

"Why would you ask such a personal question?" Professor McGonagall asked indignantly. 

"I remember reading once that if a female is claimed then other males will stay away." 

"No, Dumbledore and I were not having an affair. He is interested in other males" Professor McGonagall admits. 

"Do you have any other suggestions?" Tony asks. 

"No, I am a human healer not animals. Perhaps you should ask the Magical Creatures professor", Healer Chapman suggests.

"Brilliant idea", Tony replies before asking one of the house elves to get the professor. Professor Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank arrives. After being informed of what is happening, the professor replies "I do not deal with non-magical animals", with a lot of arrogance.

"My cats are kneazles", Mrs. Figg protests. 

"You might believe they are magical but I have seen no evidence that your cats are kneazles and not just regular cats".

"Enough arguing! Who would know how to treat them?" Tony asks exasperated.

"The pet store in Diagon Alley should be able to treat them", Flitwick suggests. 

"I will floo them immediately", Tony replies.

A little later, the pet store clerk examines the cats.

"The cats have been dosed with love potion", the clerk informs them. 

"What is the treatment?" 

"A flushing potion. Your potion master can make some quite easily."

"I will get Professor Snape to make some right away."

"How much do you need?" Snape asks to discover no one knows the answer.

"Does it really matter?" Tony asks.

"Yes, too much and they will die from an overdose. Too little and it will not work."

"You are not risking my babies!", Mrs. Figg exclaims holding the orange cat in her arms protectively.

"I will call a staff meeting to see whether anyone is else has any ideas", Tony suggested.

A little later all the staff were assembled, the prefects were left in charge for the duration.

"As some of you already know, the flushing potion is a bust. Does anyone else have any suggestions on how to stop cats from behaving so oddly around Professor McGonagall?" The headmistress asked.

"We can keep them locked up" Snape suggested.

"I will keep you caged up and see how you like it. Since you are much more dangerous than them" Mrs. Figg said defensively.

"You made your point, Mrs Figg. Any other suggestions?"

"Professor McGonagall, can't you talk to them in your animigus form?" Healer Chapman asks.

"There is no way I am changing to my other form with all those cats in heat. If you want I can transfigure you into a female cat so you can try talking to them? When you are popping out half human, half kneazles babies don't blame me" Professor McGonagall replied angrily.

"We can give them calming potion. If we give them too much then they will just fall asleep", Snape suggested.

"Anyone got any better solutions?" The headmistress asked. No one responded.

"Professor Snape can you start brewing some calming potion?"

"Infirmary should already stock that potion but I will make some more", Snape replied.

"Do we know who did this?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"It is the Weasleys twins. They are always doing things like this", Snape stated.

"They have toned down their pranking after I gave them a warning", The headmistress said in defense of the twins.

"It could be Peeves", Professor McGonagall suggested. "He has been a pest for years."

"It is not possible for a ghost to make such a complex potion." Snape pointed out.

"It has to be Ronald Weasley. I gave him detention last night cleaning the cat litter trays after he disturbed my sleep. He must be angry and tried to get me back but got Professor McGonagall instead", The headmistress suggested.

"That does sound reasonable. Mrs Weasley was quite talented in potions at school", Professor McGonagall added in support.

"But he does not show any potions talent during class. I still think it is the Weasley twins", Snape countered.

"Maybe his mum only taught him love potions. After all it is well known fact that she dosed her husband, and that's why he married her", Professor Flitwick added. Everyone agreed that it did sound possible and logically given the Molly Weasley past record.

"What should be his punishment?"

"Cleaning the toilets by hand for the rest of the term", Professor McGonagall suggested.

"And also, he could clean and sort out my potion class room for the rest of the term. After all, he causes enough of a mess exploding cauldrons every few lessons", Snape responded.

"How about clean out the owlry for the rest of the term by hand with Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Figg taking turns watching him", Hopkirk suggests to the approval of most of the staff.

"Professor McGonagall you can inform him of his punishment", The headmistress announces. They then progress to other matters.

Ron was waiting for Professor McGonagall at her office.

"Are you here to admit you dosed the cats with love potion, Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asks.

"No. I have nothing to do with it."

"Why else would you be late for breakfast this morning?"

"I know the future and I wanted to write it down before I forget", Ron states eagerly.

"Try pulling the other horn, Mr. Weasley. We know it is you, so you might as well admit it."

"I am not lying, Harry and Hermione are also from the future."

"Prove it", Professor McGonagall challenged Ron.

"My pet rat is Peter Pettigrew", Ron replied. That would have been a good answer, but Ron forgot that in the current timeline, his pet rat was already dead.

"You have no pet rat. He died in your first year, you need to stop lying. For that I am going to make you clean the toilets by hand for the rest of the term. The punishment for your prank will be cleaning the owlry by hand for the rest of the year", Professor McGonagall informed Ron.

"I am not lying", Ron protested. He tried to think of another example to prove himself but as his knowledge of the future was very vague to begin with, he had no details to work with. So as usual, Ronald Weasley sputtered and came up empty. (Not to mention the fact that most chickens were smarter than him).

"Do you want me to extend your punishments until you graduate?"

"No Professor."

"Then get out of my sight!" Seeing that Professor McGonagall did not believe him and was scowling, Ron made a hasty exit. He knew he would not get any support from her. Looking at what other potential allies he had. Snape was way too risky; he might join Potter's side instead. Hagrid was gone but he was never a good ally as he was too talkative. The other professor's alliances were questionable. Mrs. Figg was too angry at him to be any help at the moment. That ruled out all the grownups at Hogwarts. It was too risky sending an owl outside with his knowledge as they would start blaming him when the things he described started occurring or they would make him the teacher's assistant of Divination.

He was left with students, Draco would have been a good ally but he had been killed off already. The other Slytherins were too close to the Dark Lord for comfort.

Suddenly Ron remembers Percy; he was a senior member of the ministry in the future. People breaking the law would not sit comfortably with the rule respecting Percy. He approached Percy sitting alone at one of the tables in the Common Room.

"Stay away from me. You are becoming just like the twins pranking the Professors. What were you thinking?" Percy demanded.

"I really need to speak to you in private." Ron pleaded.

"Alright but I will not help you in any pranks. I am telling you now", Percy said as he followed Ron to a spare classroom.

"I have memories from the future. I was sent by the Ministry to stop the damage being done by Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, Who did it illegally", Ron explained.

"This must be a prank you are working on. I am not falling for it. Why would they send you? You are not the most trustworthy or brightest wizard around."

"In the original timeline, I was close friends with them."

"Pull the other one. That is as believable as some of the stories about Dumbledore. I thought you were being serious for just a minute there", Percy said before leaving.

"You have got to believe me", Ron pleaded with no success. A pissed off Ron decides to walk around the school to cool down. He spots Hermione with her back to him. She was the bigger threat to his way of life. Impulsively, he fires a cutting curse at Hermione's back.

Omake

"Hello, Mrs. Creevey and Mr. Creevey. I am Mrs Wentworth from the department of home affairs. This is Mrs Tonks from the from the Granger Foundation, Miss Tonks is here for our magical protection and Sargeant Harper from Scotland Yard is here for our non-magical protection."

"Why the security?" Mr. Creevey asks.

"We will answer that question once we are not in the open, Mrs. and Mr. Creevey."

"Please come inside", Mrs. Creevey offers as she realizes that if she refuses then it could be trouble for them. They are offered comfortably seating and refreshments before Mrs. Creevey asks. "We spoke on the phone but you were very cryptic about the reason for this meeting."

"Sorry for the secrecy. It is a sensitive matter, if certain people knew what we were doing then everyone would be at risk."

"Should we even have this meeting at all?" Mr Creevey asked in fear. This cloak and dagger stuff was not his cup of tea.

"Let me explain before you chuck me out." Mrs Wentworth replied.

"Go ahead", Mrs. Creevey suggests.

"We know your two sons are magical but you two are not. When you were introduced to the magical world, they failed to inform you how divided the society in which your sons were entering was. The purebloods control the government and suppress the rest of the society. It is getting worse with the Purebloods wanting more rights to the point where your sons would be practically slaves. Discrimination is so bad that your sons will have trouble finding work as a lot jobs are not available to them as non-pureblood wizards."

"I thought things were getting better since the fall of the Dark Lord", Mr. Creevey replied.

"Who told you that?"

"Deputy Headmistress McGonagall."

"Well she lied to you. It is actually getting a lot worse. She is part of the problem by hiding this side of Magical Society from new magicals such as your sons. The British non-magical government is not happy with what is happening and if changes do not occur immediately then war is likely. Non-Magical will fight the magical for control over magical society. This war will mean that you would be caught in the middle if you do not leave."

"You are expecting us to leave our home. Where would we go? What about our friends and family? What about our work?" Mr. Creevey exclaimed in shock and fear.

"It will only be for the short term and the Granger Foundation will help you move and cover any of the costs. They would also provide you with reasonable paying jobs while I will help with the immigration paperwork. You have a choice of America or any number of countries within the Asia Pacific region but I must warn you that most of the jobs are in America. In regards to your friends and family, there is not much we can do. But there are certain advantages to moving. You will have access to the best medical care in the world for free and your children will get world class education at no cost to yourself. "

"You said that if people know then we will be at risk?"

"The pureblood magical's who control the British magical government would not like the fact that so much of their labour force is leaving. They would legislate to stop us and you would become hostages or prisoners in the upcoming war. That is why secrecy is so important."

"How will this war affect our friends and family who do not leave with us?"

"As long as they do not know about magic then they will not be affected. The magicals have international enforced rules against involving non-magicals", Mrs. Wentworth lied. She in reality did not know what will happen to the relatives who do not leave.

"How many people have agreed to move?"

"Everyone we have talked to have agreed to move?"

"Why would so many agree to move?"

"There are a lot different reasons. Some are attracted to the most likely higher pay, others due to the medical care which combines magical and non-magical practices, others are attracted to our ability to allow them to use magic, but most people just want their children protected and family protected from this war."

"You can give us the ability to use magic?" Mr. Creevey asked excitedly, while Mrs. Creevey looked pensive.

"Yes, the squibs in the Granger Foundation were all trying to work out ways to give themselves the ability to use magic. A number of the projects we funded appear very promising with high success rates. But at the moment they are all still in the experimental stage. Before you can join one of these studies, there will be a load of contracts you will have to sign. That is because we are not planning to release the research in certain areas like this country, since there is high probability of abuse in the general public if word gets out. Only our allies will be given access to these techniques upon request", Mrs. Tonks explained.

"Where do we sign up?" Mrs. Creevey asked.

"You need to agree to relocate first. There are a number of options, Australia is the first option we have positions available in a variety of sectors including: energy, transportation, agriculture (we are producing a growing portion of the world's food production), administrative and mining. Hong Kong is our import/export hub so we have heaps of jobs in: transportation, manufacturing and administrative. Mexico is our medical centre. So jobs in the medical field are plentiful. There is also manufacturing and administrative jobs in Mexico. I have heard talk of a new school being built so jobs in education should soon be available. But our main operation is based in America where we have such a wide range of jobs that I cannot even begin to describe it. It is also closest to best school in the world" Mrs. Tonks explained.

Both Mrs. and Mr. Creevey were not listening to her. They were holding each other hands and practically jumping up and down saying, "We are going to be able to do magic. This is going to be so cool."

"I will prepare the documents for a move to America" Mrs. Wentworth said even though the Creevey's were not listening to her. It took an hour for the couple to calm down enough to the sign the necessary documents, even then they were still giddy.

"So how do we become magical?" Mr. Creevey asked still excited by the prospect.

"If you let me do a spell on you to determine whether you are a squib or pure non-magical?" Mrs. Tonk asked.

"Go ahead."

"You are pure non-magical which means that there are less options available to you. But these are your options. You can get a transfusion daily of magical blood for a month. That will result in you getting just enough magical ability to use a wand for some very basic spells."

"That is long time", Mr. Creevey complained.

"The next option is to get a transplant from someone magical. We get the bodies from prisoners who have been kissed by dementors. But the number is very limited and none of the characteristics of the criminal will be transferred."

"How about the associated risks of transplants?" Mrs. Creevey who was a nurse, asked.

"Since we combine magical and non-magical techniques the risks are minimal. In fact, a person can have the surgery and come out the next day perfectly fine. No rejection medication required as the prisoner is changed using a potion to be a healthier version of the recipient", Mrs. Tonks replied.

"This potion does it work with non-magicals?" Mrs. Creevey asked as she thought of all the patients on the organ waiting lists that could be saved.

"There is a non-magical version of the potion but the drug companies and various government and non-government bodies are refusing to authorize its use. That is why our hospitals are based in Mexico where fewer regulations exist and the drug companies are not as strong."

"Are there any other options?" Mrs. Creevey asked as she did feel it was right to deprive someone of an organ.

"You can be turned into a vampire or werewolf. But that is not recommended for healthy people as there are a lot of risks involved in such a change including a high fatality rate. We are still unable to reverse the change but there are hundreds of vampires and werewolves working on the problem."

"Anything else?"

"There would be if you had even a small magical core."

"Does your transplant technique allow for multiple transplants from one donor?"

"Yes. We can regrow kidneys, skins and a range of other organs but the new organs need time before they become magical again."

"I think we will probably go down the blood transfusion route", Mrs. Creevey replied.


End file.
